


Momon's New Beginning

by Noxen7



Category: Overlord - Maruyama Kugane & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:33:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26241205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noxen7/pseuds/Noxen7
Summary: The end of Yggdrasil marks the beginning of something new. At the centre of it all is a lone raven-black hero who wields both blade and magic to deadly effect. Who is he, and how will this one man influence the world around him?This project is the same one found on FFN.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

** Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord, all credits to  Kugane Maruyama. **

Dialogue Tags:

[Spell/Martial Art]

' _Inner thoughts_ '

{Message}

Many DMMO-RPGs have sprung up over the years, though none have achieved the same level of fame and prestige even remotely close to the one known as Yggdrasil. Twelve whole years have passed since its successful launch, wherein Yggdrasil has enjoyed unrivaled success, an ever-growing player base, and near limitless developer resources.

During those twelve prosperous years, many guilds had sprouted up. Many guilds had been born to reflect the vast and diverse player base. Some guilds focused on exploration of the nine realms, some focused-on player killing, otherwise known as PK. Some guilds rose to power to counter the aforementioned PK guilds. Some guilds frequented trading, and others had risen just to dungeon dive, raid farm, or just to role play their respective characters. With the vast amount of player freedom, the possibilities were near endless.

Nine's Own Goal was one such guild where nine heteromorphic players sought protection from being endlessly killed by humanoid players. Eventually they changed their name to Ainz Ooal Gown, Touch Me passed the title of Guild leader to Momonga and the guild gained more members until they rose to be one of the top guilds in the entire game. Their focus shifted from being PVP focused to being more role play oriented, mostly due to the fact that almost every member of the guild had a grotesque heteromorphic form. In its prime, the guild Ainz Ooal Gown enjoyed similar success to that of the game itself, but as with all good things, eventually it would come to an end. Members started to slowly drift away from the game. Many left the guild altogether after giving all their items to Momonga, but a select few kept their characters within the guild, even though they had effectively quit.

[23:54:47]

The game servers were coming to a close, and yet in the final moments, there remained only one member of Ainz Ooal Gown online.

Momonga sat upon his majestic throne located on the tenth floor of the great underground tomb of Nazarick. He looks to the guild weapon held in his hands, but he releases it soon after bathing it in his gaze.

The staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, the symbol of his guild and his time together with his friends, floats in place and rotates slowly. It defies gravity in much the same fashion as Momonga defies the shutdown of Yggdrasil by staying online till the end. Though the key difference lies in the fact that the staff is successful in accomplishing its goal, whereas Momonga's defiance will change nothing.

Momonga shifts his gaze to the NPCs who have gathered and kneeled before him, his eyes land on a certain blonde member of the Pleiades and he thinks back to his last farewell with Herohero, who was the creator of said NPC, and the last one to be online just minutes before Momonga's seating on the throne.

Herohero was an Elder Black Ooze, one of the strongest variants of slimes. All character models in Yggdrasil lack facial movements, but that statement rang true especially for a slime. But with even that in mind, he could still see the exhaustion on his face.

Despite being one of the four remaining members of Ainz Ooal Gown, Herohero had all but retired. He had already given Momonga all his items and was only online to say his goodbyes before he logged off to catch what little sleep he could.

Momonga felt a number of emotions towards his long-time friend and guildmate. He felt most strongly the feelings of pain and sadness. A twinge of anger was present at the thought that he had been abandoned by all he held dear but that thought was shortly cut off.

"I… can't fault them for choosing real life over the game." Momonga spoke quietly. "Everyone had obligations outside of Yggdrasil, be it related to business, family or personal interests. The decision to leave was not one that had been taken lightly."

[23:58:17]

As Momonga descended into his thoughts, he glanced at the clock to see that it was still counting down to the end of Yggdrasil, to the end of all the efforts that he and his friends had put in.

"Not much longer now." Momonga spoke somberly. "Those were truly the best of times, and I hope that one day, I will be able to experience this all once again, to explore the one of the nine realms all over again."

[23:59:40]

As Momonga prepared for the automatic logout, he closed his eyes in thought. ' _As soon as the servers go down, it's four hours of sleep until my next shift. I hope it won't affect my work tomorrow…_ ' As Momonga finished the thought, he heard a slight beep as the timer reached midnight.

**…**

A young woman quickly runs through the halls of an administrative building. She was wearing an artifact that the Six Great Gods had left behind, a so-called 'schoolgirl uniform'. She had short light brown hair bound by a black hair accessory and wore a pair of purple glasses. She was the 7th seat of the Black Scripture, known as the 'Thousand Leagues Astrologer.' She had an urgent report for the Cardinals of the Slane Theocracy, a humancentric nation. She had seen a prophecy and in it appeared a mass of darkness in the vague shape of a human. The being stood in a forest, as if waiting for something. She did not know exactly what this prophecy meant, but she prayed for the uncertain future ahead.

**(AN: Thousand Leagues Astrologer is not the blue haired girl as seen in Volume 14. That girl is the 11th seat of the Black Scripture. Thousand Leagues Astrologer can be seen in the Manga. In the chapter where Shalltear confronts the Black Scripture, she is caught in Shalltear's [Mass Hold Species].)**

[00:00:01]

Momonga opened his eyes expecting to see the console in which he was plugged into. Instead, what he saw exceeded his wildest expectations. He was in the middle of a lush, green forest. Through the thick canopy overhead he could see glimpses at a moon in the night sky. It was a world that Blue Planet-san could only dream of.

"This… where am I?" He asked no one in particular. Momonga looked around him and noticed that he was alone. He quickly tried to piece together what had just happened. ' _Is this a reboot of the server? The night sky looks so beautiful I nearly lost myself. Could this be another one of the nine realms that I have yet to see? Clearly it is not in Helheim, where the marsh that contains Nazarick is located._ '

He stopped for a second and looked at his hands. They were still the same skeletal hands he once had as his ingame avatar, however it felt different. He felt stronger, and that strength seemed to pulsate from his entire body despite lacking any sort of muscle. He could also vaguely 'feel' as if there were still nerves in his non-existent flesh, but the touch seemed dull.

Countless questions raced through his mind, but the greatest question had just come to him. ' _Where is the staff of Ainz Ooal Gown? It was beside me just before I closed my eyes_.' He panicked briefly but as he did so, his anxiety seemed to be cut off after a certain point. ' _That's a strange feeling, but more importantly, what happened to Nazarick_?'

Guild weapons were the symbol of a guild. Therefore, in order to dissolve a guild, guild weapons were often the target of raids into guild bases. The lack of the staff could only mean one thing, that the guild and Nazarick itself was gone, mostly likely deleted by the server wipe. At this realization, Momonga felt great sorrow, until that too was cut off to a more manageable level. His feelings of pain surged once again and this back and forth between his emotions and a sort of 'dampener' continued as Momonga stared up at the sky.

"The symbol of our guild, of our hard work… gone." He nearly whispered those words. Momonga briefly thought about the wealth and vast array of items that had been in Nazarick.

His thoughts lingered on the powerful World Items that he and his friends had collected over the years, but he then shook his head. "No, the memories, the good times, I still remember them. Even if there isn't a single speck remaining of Nazarick and our guild, I will never forget all of you… my comrades, my friends." The wealth of Nazarick meant nothing to Momonga, the memories of acquiring them were far more valuable. Momonga even counted himself lucky as he still had a World Item on him even though everything else seemed to have been wiped by the server.

He shook off those nostalgic memories for now and looked at his hands once again. ' _If the server has been wiped, why do I still have this appearance, and is my inventory still there?_ ' As Momonga thought of his inventory, he could mentally see inside of it. And as he reached out to grab an item, a small black void opened for his hand and he pulled out a white sword. Momonga grinned at this discovery.

' _It seems that my inventory is still intact, as is my character. But what of my skills? My magic_?' Momonga concentrated and he could vividly remember all his spells he was able to cast, along with all the details that were associated with them. Mana cost, cast time, and even effective range. As he concentrated, he could vaguely feel the mana swirling inside his body.

"So that's why I felt so much power." He spoke as his hands gripped the hilt of the white sword. Momonga raised the sword above his head to do a practice swing but as he swung, the sword dropped out of his hands. ' _It seems that the class restrictions should still apply even here._ '

Momonga put the white sword back into his inventory and cast a spell.

[Create Greater Item]

His entire body was clad in raven-black full plate armour with edges of gold. There was a red cape that covered his right shoulder and it extended down to his knees. He moved his limbs around and he didn't feel slowed down at all. In fact, it felt more like an extension of his body. This was a suit of magically created armour. It had no special enchantments, but it had the durability and strength of a level hundred piece of equipment. Even against other level hundred players, this armour could provide some measure of protection. Though nowhere near the same amount as specialized warrior armour, like Touch Me's white suit of armour known as 'Compliance with Law.' Momonga points at a nearby tree and casts another spell.

[Dragon Lightning]

A 5th tier spell went off with no issues. Out of his finger came a streak of white lightning shaped as a dragon. The lightning struck the tree and caused the water beneath the bark to heat up and explode, showering the area with wooden splinters.

Momonga was surprised that he could still cast spells while wearing armour. ' _Perhaps this was a recent change the developers made to magically created items_?' He thought to himself. Another thought appeared in his head and he sought to test it.

[Create Greater Item]

In each of his hands appeared a black great sword whose edge was shaped like a fan. In terms of length it was the size of a full-grown man. ' _I thought they would be heavier considering its length, but it feels like a stick._ ' Momonga thought casually as he inspected the ornate designs on the great swords. He raised one of the swords over his head and swung it at another tree. Momonga was expecting the blade to either fall out of his hands or just barely dent the tree. But to his surprise, the tree was sliced cleanly and the trunk rolled onto the ground with a loud 'thud' sound. ' _It would seem weapons made from magic are still usable even though I am a mage_.'

He could not help but notice his cape swaying gently in the wind and he marveled the breeze. Momonga listened intently and with his improved senses he could pick up sounds of small animals scurrying around the forest. Was such a thing even possible with Yggdrasil? The answer was no. Momonga knew this, but he could not believe it. His body despite being nothing but bones, felt stronger than he had ever felt as a full-blooded human. His mind was overflowing with the knowledge of every single spell he knew, even of spells he could not cast and yet, he was not overwhelmed. Momonga was calm and every time he felt strong emotions, they were cut off in an instant. This had all happened, but he did not know why. He was alone in an unknown land, but he still had all his prior knowledge and experiences.

Momonga looked at his swords and then his armour. His gear reminded himself of Touch Me, even down to the red cape that was synonymous with his former comrade. Momonga thought back to all those sparring matches with Touch Me, how he had learned various sword techniques that he would never use because Momonga was a mage. But now, he had a chance to try them. Tree after tree fell, some sliced cleanly, others completely decimated leaving no trace behind. Momonga grinned at the fact that he felt no fatigue. ' _Seems like it was a good decision to be undead_.' He chuckled at that thought because it was due to his undead form that he was hunted constantly before being rescued by his former comrade. He respected Touch Me, both as a friend and as someone who reached the class of World Champion. Still, it was his friend Punitto Moe who pointed out the fact that even if Momonga could not use swords, it would not hurt to learn some techniques that warriors would use in order to counter them. In those nostalgic memories, Momonga could not help but smile sadly. "Thank you all, my comrades. I will carry on with the knowledge that you have imparted with me and strive not to tarnish the legacy that you all have left behind."

As guild leader Momonga had spent a lot of time with every guild member. He spent most of that time learning and listening about their techniques when it came to PVP. He had the most memories with Punitto Moe, Touch Me, Peroroncino, Ulbert and Yamaiko.

Momonga continued throughout the next few days and nights practicing strikes thousands of times. He felt no fatigue nor the need for food or drink, this allowed him to practice non-stop. He was driven by the memories of his former friends and he could not disappoint them. Occasionally he would practice a punch that Yamaiko had once shown him, and to his surprise, the trees he punched would completely shatter as if a wrecking ball had struck the tree. ' _My physical strength seems to have improved. I am not the most accurate judge of physical abilities, but I feel almost as confident in my strength as I am in my magic_.'

Momonga continued with so much fervor that he lost track of time, but he did not neglect his magic. He spent some time unwinding and concentrating to get a feel of spells he could cast. For normal people, it would be impossible to remember the intricacies of all 718 spells he had at his disposal, but to Momonga it was like learning to ride a bike. It was not something he would forget. He looked to his swords and smiled as he remembered the words his comrades had spoken of. ' _Your weapon becomes more of an extension of yourself rather than just a tool. Wield it as you would your own arms and legs_.' He chuckled at what Warrior Takemichazuki had once spoken. "He is not mistaken, swinging this sword just feels natural, almost as natural as using magic. But I will not be arrogant. He had swung his swords for much longer than I have and yet he stayed humble."

Momonga thought back to when he had to solo farm to maintain the upkeep of Nazarick. As a solo backline mage, he was a sitting duck without a meat shield. In the past he used his summons, but now he was confident in his ability. ' _Still it would not hurt to check my summoning skills_.' He called forth the Moonlight Wolves. A dozen wolves with silver coats appeared before him and they lowered their heads in respect. They were only level 20, but they excelled in agility. Momonga was pleasantly surprised to feel a sort of connection to his summons. He then heard a pleasant female voice in his head.

{Momonga-sama, how may these humble servants serve you?} Momonga was surprised. ' _These summons can talk? Wolves lack vocal cords capable of speech, but I guess magic really is amazing. They seem to be casting_ [Message] _too_.' Momonga coughed to clear his non-existent throat.

"Scout the surrounding forest but go no further than three hundred meters. Report back to me immediately if you find any intelligent creatures. Avoid all unnecessary combat. Should you not find any intelligent creatures, continue your patrol but return after half an hour's time." The wolves went to carry out his orders and he was alone once again.

' _Still, it sounded like they really respect me. And not just in the capacity of a worker and her boss, but like one of master and servant_.' Momonga shook off the thought and continued to hone his combat techniques.

Half an hour quickly passed, and he found the dozen wolves had returned and lowered their heads once again.

Momonga heard the familiar female voice in his head again.

{Please forgive this humble servant's tardiness, but we have not spotted any intelligent creatures capable of speech. We had only seen small prey animals and insects, none of which are worthy of your criteria. Please forgive our failure in executing your will.}

Momonga waved his hand magnanimously. The wolves were low level and lacked specialized ranger or thief skills to locate ambushers. He had chosen the Moonlight wolves for their exceptional senses and agility but also because it would not be out of place to find wolves in the forest.

"Think nothing of it. I believe we are safe for now. Thank you for your report." The wolves had their heads down thus hiding their expressions, but their wagging tails told Momonga all he needed to know. He dismissed his summons and when they vanished like white smoke, Momonga could vaguely feel the connection being severed.

Momonga looked around the clearing in the forest that he had made. He felt a sense of pride but also shame. "Blue Planet-san would be scolding me right about now." Momonga chuckled as he gathered the tree trunks that were intact and put them all into his pocket dimension. ' _That is good to know, I can even store items that are much larger in size_.'

Momonga collects his thoughts as he thinks of his next course of action. ' _This much I know, I am able to cast and use all my previously known magic. I can wield weapons and wear armour that I myself have created with magic. My current body is exactly like my in-game avatar. I still do not know where I am but thankfully it would seem that I am in a secluded forest. Are there intelligent beings in this world? If so, how would they react to an undead being walking about? In my previous world, this sort of thing was unheard of. Therefore, it would be best to stay in this suit of armour. If need be, I can cast simple illusions or use that one spell that I frequented whenever Punitto Moe-san and I went undercover in those NPC towns_.'

Momonga had fond memories of himself and Punitto Moe going undercover to gather information in humanoid towns controlled by rival guilds. [False Life] was a 9th tier spell that only an undead of his caliber could use. By expending his mana, he could take human form. In game the spell was potent enough to fool even the high-level NPC guards that frequently guarded the towns. It was more like a high tier illusion spell, and though he would appear human, his undead statuses and racial abilities were unchanged. Undead being immune to critical hits had on more than one occasion saved Momonga from an ambush while he was disguised.

' _When the spell was in effect, the mana drain was negated by the passive mana regeneration. In theory I could keep up that illusion indefinitely, though it would make casting other spells risky as I would not be able to recover my mana unless I cancel the illusion. Unless absolutely necessary, I will refrain from using [False Life] as I do not know what its effects are in this world. Not to mention there might exist beings that can see through the illusion. It would be best to presume that there are such beings_.' Even with that illusion, some high-level NPCs can detect undead just by their auras. To prevent that from happening, Momonga had a ring that would protect him from all types of divination spells. It also hid his magical aura and his undead status. Momonga was confident he would not make too many mistakes going forward, however only a fool would be complacent.

' _What I need now is more information. It is a start that I am aware of what I am and what abilities I am capable of, but it would be wise to learn more about this world and how it came to be_.' With that thought in mind, Momonga started to make his way out of the massive forest with the sun floating high in the sky.

**...**

An albino Gigant Basilisk basks in the sun with the rest of his herd. Basilisks are typically solitary creatures, but this particular basilisk was blessed with both a strong body and an above average intellect. He was not on the same level as a magical beast in terms of intelligence, he was still far above the average monster. He had seen its fair share of battles and struggles for life and it noted that in many struggles, the side that was more numerous tended to be victorious. Even if most beings were weak, having more weaklings could be considered a strength of its own. He then began to roam across the continent. He passed through scorching deserts, vast plains, sprawling forests and even came across a large swamp. He would cross paths with some of his brethren and they would fight. He would always be victorious but instead of slaying his brethren for their territory, he would instead have them follow him on his journey. It was not long before he led a sizable herd of a dozen individuals. Gigant Basilisks were large creatures, they had eight legs and averaged ten meters in length from head to tail. To feed an entire herd would not be an easy task, but not overly difficult because as reptiles, they only needed to eat a few times per week.

Their prey varied based on what biome they found themselves in. The swamp provided plenty of Lizardmen and Toadmen. Even Hydras fell prey to the herd. Plains had plenty of human travellers who were far from the safety of their vast cities. And in the forests, it was like a vast treasure trove of prey, but the most abundant of all were the various goblin settlements scattered about. Currently they found themselves on the edge of a vast forest next to a vast grassy plain. Almost the entire herd was resting save for three individuals sent out to track prey. Basilisks were incapable of expressions on their faces, but it was clear there was anticipation for the hunt that would take place soon. They had chosen this location to nest specifically for the abundance of prey, and so far, they were far from starving.

**Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to share them with me.**


	2. Chapter 2

** Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord, all credits to  Kugane Maruyama. **

Dialogue Tags:

[Spell/Martial Art] 

‘ _Inner thoughts_ ’

{Message}

Nigun Grid Luin, the captain of the Sunlight Scripture, looks up towards the midday sun through the thick canopy that was synonymous with the Great Forest of Tob. He then turns to address his men, fellow operatives of the Sunlight Scripture. “The sun is at its peak. The ‘knights’ will have arrived at the last village by now. Make camp here and take a few hours rest. When the sun starts to set over the horizon, we will make our move.” His men respond with nods of agreement as they set off to their tasks.

**... **

A young girl, barely a teenager, with slightly tanned skin runs through the forest. Her name is Enri Emmot and she holds the hand of an even younger girl who was her sister, Nemu. The pair had been gathering kindling near the edges of the forest when they were confronted with two armoured figures. Enri, sensing danger immediately dropped all the kindling and grabbed Nemus hand before sprinting into the woods. She ran parallel to the village in hopes of losing her pursuers and before returning to the village to warn them of what’s to come. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of various horses and the sounds of moving metal. Enri nearly fell into despair until she saw the look on Nemu’s face. Nemu was scared, but she trusted her elder sister to protect her and to look after her. Enri had tears in her eyes as she thought she would fail her younger sibling. 

The Great Forest of Tob was unforgiving and dangerous. Nobody knew this better than she and her fellow residents of Carne village, a frontier village bordering the Great Forest of Tob. Enri was not as skilled as a hunter or a ranger when it came to navigating the forest. Still, she hoped that in her short life’s worth of experience living beside the forest would allow her to outmaneuver her pursuers. Surely even dangerous monsters would not attack if their bellies were full, yet she could not say the same for the two humans chasing after her right now. 

...

Momonga admires the beautiful weather through a small clearing in the forest. The bright blue skies were unmarked by any clouds and the sunlight seemed to seep into his very bones. Such a thing of beauty could not have been possible in his original world. He had only seen blue skies in his previous world through old documentaries, but even those paled in comparison to what was before his eyes. 

As he walked, he began to solidify his plans. ‘ _I think it would be best to explore this region. In hopes of encountering any intelligent beings, although I should approach with caution. I don’t know what to expect or if I will encounter people whom I have had less than pleasant experiences with in the past_.’ 

Momonga briefly recalled his early days in Yggdrasil when he was just a weak skeleton mage who was repeatedly hunted down just for being a heteromorph. He would not make the same mistakes as in the past. His thoughts were interrupted by some sounds and smells that his undead senses were picking up. We could hear the sounds of items being smashed, and the screams of what were assumed to be humans. The stench of smoke and steel was overwhelming. ‘ _It would be best to remain undetected as I approach_.’ 

[Perfect Unknowable] 

A 9th tier spell that renders the caster invisible and completely erases the presence along with any and all noise they may produce. If one lacked high-level thief or ranger skills, then Momonga would be undetectable. 

Momonga sped through the forest creating gusts of wind as he went. All the noise generated by his movements were completely nullified due to his spell and if a person had been nearby, they would comment on the sudden breeze that would blow past them and quickly disappear. 

It took less than a minute before Momonga would come across another small clearing where he watched two young human girls fleeing on foot and not far behind them, two men in suits of armour wielding swords. They seemed like Knights, by looks of their equipment. The two girls seemed to be village girls. The older one looked to be in their early teens while the younger one was no more than a child. 

For a moment Momonga was curiously inspecting their clothing and equipment. ‘ _Seems to be medieval styled clothing and armour. Is this some sort of movie set_ ? _They also don’t seem to be of Japanese descent. I wonder if I can communicate with them._ ’ 

Momonga noted that throughout his time in the forest, he saw no artificial light nor could he hear any noise that could have been from mechanical means. In his original world there was very little silence. Machinery could be heard at all times of the day, whether he was at work or at home. 

The youngest of the two girls' trips on a branch and the eldest one was only barely able to pull them back to their feet as the two knights continued their pursuit. 

Momonga watched with interest as he took in all that he saw. The two girls were moving at a snail's pace, at least in his eyes, but he could see the desperation and fear gripping their faces. On the other hand, the two knights looked greatly displeased. They did not expect that their prey would cling so desperately to their lives. 

Momonga considered his options as the desperate scene played out in front of him. ‘ _It is clear that the two knights are the aggressors. However, it is unknown if there is a war taking place right now, or if these two knights had simply fallen into banditry to survive. The two knights appeared to be well fed so the latter option likely isn’t the case._

_‘_ _Perhaps they were just in the process of looting a village and these two girls had managed to escape. That raises the question of how I should tackle this situation. Touch Me would definitely just save the two girls because it was just simply the right thing to do. While I do admire his kindness, there is simply too much unknown. I do not wish to unknowingly upset a foreign power by interfering in where I should not have_.’ His thoughts were interrupted as the youngest girl trips once again, but this time the older girl could not drag her back to her feet. Seeing this, she hugs the younger girl tightly and turns her away from the pursuers. 

The two knights quickly catch up to the unmoving pair and one of the two knights grin savagely as he slashes his sword across the eldest girl’s back. Bright crimson blood spreads from her back and splashes on the ground. Momonga was surprised that he could watch this scene with such apathy. He expected to be nauseous at the sight of blood but instead he continues to assess the situation calmly. 

‘ _This is likely the result of my undead nature matching my undead body. Though such acts against children still disgusts me. I suppose I have to see how my abilities compare to those in this world eventually and now is as good a time as any.'_

Momonga cancels [Perfect Unknowable] and reveals himself. He stood as an obstacle between the two girls and the knights. His plan was to confront the two knights and if they proved too much for him to handle then he would call forth some summons to buy himself time before retreating with [Gate]. If the knights continued to pursue him through the [Gate] then he would delay their teleportation and set up an ambush. 

Momonga did not want to abandon the two young girls to their fate but he did not want to take any unnecessary risks. One of the rings he wore would allow him to resurrect without penalties but he had no knowledge about resurrection in this world. Therefore, he would treat this life as if it were his last. 

...

The knight who held the bloodstained sword raised it in anticipation of killing the two young girls who had defied him by running away. He blinked and in that short moment’s time where his vision was interrupted, a dark armoured wall appeared in front of him, blocking his view of his potential victims. 

He had to crane his head upwards to see that it was a warrior clad in raven-black armour blocking his path, but to his eyes he looked to be an immovable mountain. 

The dark warrior towered over him and merely crossed his arms across his chest as he stood, as if waiting for him to react. When the knight finally came to his senses, he immediately jump backwards and readied his sword, while his companion did much the same 

“Wh-Who are you?” He asks cautiously. He eyed the dark warrior who had not yet drawn his sword but he still felt goosebumps appearing on his back. He tightened his own grip on his measly blade as he watched for any sort of movement from the dark warrior. 

“I think you’ve done enough terrorizing children.” The dark warrior speaks in a heroic tone. 

The two knights did nothing but stare at him with wide eyes. The dark warrior seemed disappointed as he unfolded his arms. 

“Are you not going to make a move? Pathetic. When faced with children you were so bold, yet you cower when faced with someone who can defend themselves? Get out of my sight.” 

The dark warrior points a finger towards him and he feels every instinct warning him of his impending death. He immediately drops his sword and attempts to flee, but it was a fruitless endeavor.

[Dragon Lightning]

The familiar 5th tier spell races from his fingertip and buries its electric fangs into the unsuspecting body of the knight who prided himself on harming children. His metal armour was an excellent conductor for electricity and said electricity fried his internal organs. His blood also boiled until it became hot enough to explode. 

‘ _So weak_ .’ Momonga thought to himself. ‘ _Though I had a measure of their capabilities from watching their earlier movements, I did not expect them to die to mere 5th tier magic_.’ 

Momonga was now confident that neither of the two knights were able to harm him. Putting aside his magically created suit of armour, Momonga had two passive skills active at all times as a first line of defense. The two skills in question were; High Tier Physical Immunity III and High Tier Magical Immunity III. The former allowed Momonga to shrug off any attack that was physical in nature if the attacker or their weapon was below level 60. Such attacks would deal no damage to him or his armour. The latter skill nullifies all magic cast towards Momonga if it was 6th tier or below, not allowing them to even touch his armour. Should any attack actually breach his first lines of defense, he could then also rely on his level hundred armour to soak up damage if need be as Momonga adapts to a foe who could potentially harm him. 

The High Tier Physically Immunity was arguably the lesser of the two, mostly due to the fact that Momonga is very agile despite his hulking frame and stature. The training within the forest had honed Momonga’s speed and agility and on top of his improved undead senses, he was confident that few physical attacks could hit him should he not permit it. 

The surviving knight took one look at the burnt, blacked corpse of his comrade. He realized he had no chance in defeating this warrior and so he attempted to flee. He was quite fast, taking into account his armour, but to Momonga it was like he was watching a snail trying to squirm away. The knight managed to only take two steps before he felt a strong grip around his head that lifted him into the air. He could barely mutter any words or comprehend how he had come to be in this position before he was slammed face first into the ground. 

Momonga loosened his grip and allowed the limp body to lie on the ground, like he was garbage to be disposed of. He had left one of the knights alive to be questioned, but the other knight would get no mercy. Even in his undead state of mind, the act of killing children disgusted him. Momonga found some rope on the body of the knight and used it to secure his arms and legs to ensure he would not escape. 

Momonga then turns his attention to the wide-eyed pair of children looking towards him. Their open mouths and shocked expressions told Momonga all he needed to know. They were simply village children who poised no danger to him. Knowing this, Momonga felt himself relaxing as he approached. 

“Are you alright?” He asks in a gentle tone. The eldest of the two girls seemed to have returned to her senses as she lowered her head. The younger girl sought to mimic her actions. 

“Thank you for saving us!” 

“T-Thank you!” 

As the two children kept her heads low, Momonga could clearly see the wound on the back of the older girl and noticed that she was trembling slightly due to the pain. Momonga frowned at this sight and kneeled down beside her. 

Momonga had access to his inventory, and all the years of hoarding meant that he had items for any situation. However, he did not have any means of restoring most items, therefore it would be best not to waste them. Momonga looked through his inventory and quickly spotted an item of interest. 

‘Necklace of Heavy Recover.’ It was an attractive work of art that featured a goddess holding up an emerald. It would allow Momonga to cast the 3rd tier spell [Heavy Recover]. Using the necklace to cast the spell required more mana than knowing the spell directly. 

Normally, Momonga, as one of the undead, had no use for the spell [Heavy Recover] because undead were only healed by negative energy. This necklace had no use for him back in Yggdrasil but he vaguely remembered getting the necklace as a consolation prize. Momonga was able to see all the information pertaining to the necklace as he put it on underneath his armour. 

“You are injured. Be at ease, for I will heal your wounds.” He speaks in a gentle tone as he spreads his hands out in front of him and casts the spell embedded within the necklace. He felt a small amount of mana in his body disappear but it was immediately replenished. The mana cost of the necklace was nothing when compared to his vast mana reserves and mana regeneration. 

**...**

A green light surrounded Enri and the spell quickly took effect. Enri’s youthful face that was twisted in agony quickly began to relax as the pain and spreading warmth over her back subsided. Enri prostrated herself once again. 

“Thank you so much! But please, my village! My parents are in danger! Please save them!” Enri did not have the courage to look the dark warrior in the eyes after he did so much for her already. She could never repay the debt of saving the lives of her and her sister and yet she begged him for more. But to her surprise, the figure graciously accepted her pleas. 

“I understand. I will lend what aid I can, but what more can you tell me about these knights and for what reason would they attack you?” He questioned firmly. 

“I-I don’t know, we’re just normal village girls. We live in a frontier village bordering the Great Forest of Tob. We aren’t wealthy, and we are far from any major cities.” She replies frantically. 

The dark warrior rises from his crouched position and extends his hands out to her and Nemu. 

...

“I see. Please, rise. Lead me to your village as you tell me more. There might be some information that might help, but you must stay behind me at all times.” Momonga mentally cheers. ‘ _I have the trust of these two, and even if I don’t get any worthwhile information, their gratitude might help me down the road. Better to be seen as a good_ _samaritan_ _in an unknown land_.’ 

Momonga quizzed them about various topics as he carried the unconscious knight on his shoulder like a sack of flour. He learned their names as they walked. The eldest one was known as Enri and the youngest one was her sister, Nemu. 

Momonga nods along as Enri spoke about her life living in Carne village. He had some measure of respect for Enri because of her decision of running into the forest. While it was dangerous, it also had the best chance of survival for her and her younger sister. ‘ _Two young children would have little chance in out running two adults on an open field, even if they wore heavy armour. She knew that her younger sister’s stamina would not hold out, and actively sought to use the difficult terrain of the forest to her advantage. Her quick thinking and_ _decision making_ _is to be applauded.’_

The only time Momonga stopped walking was when she had asked him for a name. “You may call me… Momon.” He spoke solemnly. Enri seemed to have picked up something in his tone of voice and pried no further. ‘Momon’ as he was known now, noticed a few knights in the distance, standing near a burnt down hovel at the edge of the village. 

With his free hand he points his sword towards the group. “Drop your weapons and surrender, or perish.” The group of knights looked towards the towering figure of Momon and then noticed the body of one of their comrades on his shoulder. Enraged, they charge the dark warrior only to be cut down in an instant. Their bisected bodies fell to the ground, barely clinging to what little life they had left as they tried to understand what had just happened. 

Momon paid them not even a second glance as he continued walking to the center of the village. On the way there, he slew every knight he encountered. They had all refused his offer of mercy and he even rescued a group of villagers who were now following behind him with Enri and Nemu. When Momon reached the village square he noticed dozens of villagers were crouching in a group as more knights surrounded them. 

Momon drops the unconscious body he had been lugging around and it fell to the ground with a loud ‘thud’. Everyone in the square took notice of this and stared at the figure who had appeared. It took but one glance for Momon to figure out that the knights could potentially use the villagers as hostages. 

Momon was disgusted by this thought and so he lacked the patience and courtesy of his previous interactions. “Drop your weapons, and submit or perish as did all the rest.” Momon counts his opposition in a split second. They numbered two dozen knights, with some on horseback. One of the knights who looked to be a commander shouted out an order. 

“Kill him!” He yelled in a shrill, pathetic voice. Momon immediately launches his body like an arrow. Half a dozen knights who were approaching him head on instantly had their bodies bisected by his whirlwind of slashes. Momon moved so fast that the remaining knights could not even see him as though he was teleporting from target to target. Some stared with wide eyes as they awaited their coming death. Those with more rational minds dropped their weapons at this impossible sight and prostrated themselves. The knights who planned to massacre all the villagers were in turn annihilated by the dark warrior. 

Those on horseback who had attempted to flee died in an instant. Not even a horse could outrun this man in full plate armour. Only a dozen knights remained grovelling on the ground, hoping for salvation that would not come. 

Momon then asked the villagers to find whatever they could to bind the knights and keep them secured so that he could question them. The villagers noticed that Momon had brought along with him their relatives and wholeheartedly followed his instructions. Nobody would doubt his actions or intentions, not after he saved them from certain death. 

The captives were brought before Momon as he asked about the condition of the villagers gathered in the square. Fortunately, most had only light injuries. He then turns to face the knights gathered in front of himself and all the inhabitants of Carne Village. 

“I will ask you a few questions, and I expect an answer.” He spoke in a commanding tone that left no room for objections. All the knights could be seen shuddering and quite vividly at that. The one who looked to be a commander was the one who spoke first. 

“We will- I mean, I-l will not tell you anything!” He spoke with false confidence. Even though it was he who threw down his weapon first and kowtowed on the ground as his men were being slaughtered. Momon grinned savagely and although the knights could not see it, they felt the predatory expression. Momon lifts a finger and points it towards the commander as he starts struggling in fear of what this dark figure would do to him. 

[Despair Aura II - Panic]

Momon silently activates one of his passive skills and limits the area of effect to only the commander. The results were immediate. A dark patch of liquid began to spread around his crotch and the smell of ammonia was in the air. His face was clouded by terror and he struggled so hard that he dislocated both of his arms as he started wailing in panic. The faces of the knights all turned pale as they saw this broken version of their arrogant commander. 

They did not know what had happened, but they did not want to be the next to be turned into a bumbling wreck of a man. Momon, satisfied with what he had seen, turned to face the man next to him. “Will you speak, or will you join him?” Momonga spoke firmly. He was quite happy to see that he was able control the area of effect of his [Despair Aura] and that he could experiment with how to use it. 

Londes Di Clamp, a knight of the Theocracy, was a devout man. He along with his comrades despised their leader, Belius. Their commander was an arrogant coward who was prone to resorting to violence with those who were weaker than him and bribed his way to his position. 

Londes was a veteran who had fought many battles but never had he seen a man so broken. When the dark figure who caused his commander’s mental breakdown faced him, Londes began to sweat profusely. He felt his armour and skin slick with sweat as he faced their captor. Londes did not fear death, but the threat of being turned into a wreck of a man was all too much for him. 

“I wi-will speak, but only if you can guarantee the lives and well-being of my surviving comrades.” Londes himself was surprised at where he found this courage, but he could not betray his country without at least the promise of the lives of those who fought with him. 

Momon was taken back at first but he soon had a warm expression on his face though no one else could see behind his closed helmet. ‘ _Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends_.’ A phrase often used in Nazarick appeared in his head but he shook off the thought. Now was not the time to be nostalgic. 

“You have courage. But not false courage like the one before you. Your courage stems from protecting your comrades. For that, I will honour your terms. However, what you've done here is beyond my forgiveness. After I am done asking my questions, I will leave your fates up to the villagers that you have wronged." 

Londes looks down in shame. The terms given to him by the dark figure were fair and quite frankly, it was too good for him and his men. His voice was full of shame as he told all that he knew. 

Momon stood seemingly unfazed by what he had heard, but in his mind, countless thoughts were forming and more questions stemmed each time he heard new information. 

‘ _Hoh, a covert mission, then_?’ Momon listened intently as he thought of the plot which was to occur. The Slane Theocracy, a human supremacist nation to the south, had tasked some of their knights to disguise themselves as knights of the Baharuth Empire, a country which laid claim to territories east of Carne Village. All this was to cause this country, the Re-Eztize Kingdom, to respond by heightening tensions between the two nations. The surrounding villagers were appalled and angered that their lives were worth little more than pawns to these men from the Slane Theocracy. That nation prided themselves on being protectors of humanity and yet here they were, slaughtering innocents for such a nefarious goal. To weaken the Re-Eztize Kingdom and to incite further conflict between two countries that already fights yearly battles. 

When quizzed about why such a heinous crime was to be carried out, Londes could not respond. He did not know why he was tasked with such a mission. His orders were to slaughter some villages, raze them to the ground and allow some to escape. This was to be the last village, before he was supposed to pull back to the borders of the Theocracy. 

This was a definite victory for Momon. He mentally cheered for all this information that had been given to him on a silver platter, and he could look to be in the right as well. Things could not get better. 

Momon looks away from the ashamed knights and turns to an older man who had introduced himself to be the village chief. 

“Dark Hero-sama, we cannot thank you enough for saving this village!” Momon was taken back. He had never been thanked before in his life to this degree. He mustered his courage to reply in the only way he knew how. 

“Think nothing of it. It is common sense to help those who are in need.” 

His regal, thunderous voice delivered his message to everyone present. And even the defeated knights could not help but respect the words he had spoken. Momon silently thanked Touch Me for the cringy line he had heard in the past when he himself was saved. The village chief bowed his head. “Even so, we cannot forget our benefactor. Please, follow me to my humble abode and let us discuss some form of payment.” Momon nods in agreement, though he had no desire for money, he could negotiate information as a form of payment in place of it. 

The village chief along with his wife led Momon to a humble looking house. It was slightly larger than the surrounding houses, such was the privilege of the village chief, however minor it was. 

Momon had to duck slightly to enter the doorway. The people of the village were not short by any means, but Momon was well over two meters (seven feet) in height. He sat down on a plain chair which creaked under his weight and he faced the village chief who sat opposite of him. He declined the beverages that his wife had offered and got straight to the point. 

“I will be frank. I have no need for money, I only wish to ask for information. I am what you would call... a traveller, yes. Or perhaps an adventurer would be more accurate. I am new to these lands; I was passing by when I had heard sounds that did not belong to the forest. Keep your money, I am sure you will be in greater need for those funds. All I ask is that I do not wish any of what we speak here to be known publicly.” 

The village chief nods at his words. “Thank you for your concern, Momon-sama. I will be happy to tell you all that I know, and be rest assured that not a word spoken in this house will ever leave our lips.” 

Momon grins under his helmet. His prior experiences as a business man had helped him greatly. Showing concern or praising for your client will help endear them to you, allowing for better deals and smoother talks. 

Momon committed all that he heard to memory. The information from the village chief helped confirm his earlier suspicions. Currently he was at Carne Village, a frontier village that bordered the Great Forest of Tob. Carne Village sat at the southern tip of the vast forest which was shaped like the letter ‘u’ around the Azerlisa Mountains to the north. The Azerlisia Mountains acted as a natural border between the Re-Eztize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire. To the southwest was the fortress city of E-Rantel. The chief only knew of the three human centric nations in the surrounding regions and nothing else more than that. Momon was relieved to hear that the information given by the knights was not false, and had the word of the chief to go by as well. Still, it would not hurt to try mind control magic on the knights at a later date, and maybe see how well memory altering magic could work as well. 

After a long and fruitful discussion which included the fates of the knights to be handed over to the authorities, Momon stands up to shake the hands of the chief before he is interrupted with the sounds of knocking at the door. The wife of the chief steps up to the door and opens it. 

“I-I’m sorry to interrupt! But, there-there are more armoured men on horses approaching!” A young man spoke with panic evident in his voice. 

Glances were exchanged and wordlessly, Momon exits the house and heads toward the entrance of the village. The village chief heads to the village center to calm those who were panicked. 

With his enhanced vision, Momon could spot clouds of dust caused by men on horses that the young villager had spoken of. He calls for all the villagers around him to go back to the village square and asks only for the chief to be present with him. As the surrounding villagers did as he asked, Momon summoned a dozen wraiths.   


They were all invisible to the untrained eye and all of them bowed their heads in respect. “How may these humble servants be of use to you, Momonga-sama?” Spoke all of them in unison.   


Momon points towards the figures riding towards them. “Stay hidden, but begin to encircle those who are approaching. Do not allow for any of them to escape. Should any attempt to do so, kill them. Message me if you report any additional figures approaching.” The wraiths indicated that they understood his instructions and proceeded to do as they were commanded. 

**...**

It was late in the afternoon. The goblin tribe of Gigu was bustling with activity as always. For a tribe of nearly two hundred goblins and a dozen ogres, it was to be expected. However, it was clear that terror was on the faces of all its inhabitants. The goblin scouts had seen a Gigant Basilisk roaming around the village exterior. When the news reached Chieftain Ah, he immediately ordered all the women and children to evacuate alongside a dozen warriors and a few ogres to protect them. 

Sixty warriors and half a dozen ogres would remain in the village to buy time for the evacuees led by Agu, the fourth son of Ah, to flee. All accepted the words of the chieftain. It was a difficult decision to make and they all knew it. There was only one voice that dissented. 

“You have let me fight alongside you and my brothers! How can I run away when our home is threatened?” 

Ah immediately shakes his head. “No. You find a new home. You lead now.” 

“But-” 

“Now go, young Agu. Please.” 

Ah with a heavy heart, turns away from his youngest son to prepare for the coming battle. Out of all his four sons, Agu had the gift of leadership and insight. The tribe had its best chance of survival under his leadership. 

Agu feels disheartened by his father’s decision until he is approached by his three older brothers. They all pat Agu on the back to reassure him as they begin to joke around and reminisce about the past. 

When Agu finally begins to crack a small smile, the four brothers all hug each other one last time. The embrace was short but filled with warmth. His brothers reluctantly break off the embrace to follow their father. Agu waves them off and as they depart, he was already missing the warmth he had just felt. 

Agu shakes off the thought. ‘ _Now is not the time for such thoughts. Everyone is counting on me. I cannot let them down!’_ Agu was determined to not disappoint those who had their faith in him and began to help with the preparations in earnest for his tribe’s mass exodus. 

The warriors who volunteered to stay behind quickly began work by shoring up their wooden walls with extra mud to strengthen them. They also went about sharpening what little weaponry they had as the ogres began to pick out their preferred clubs. 

The soon to be evacuees worked in earnest packing what little supplies they had and preparing the children to travel. Ten scouts had been sent out to delay the movements of the basilisk. The time that they would bring would not be wasted. 

It was nearing the evening and the sun could be seen nearing the horizon. The dim orange light illuminated the wooden walls of what had once been the home of the Gigu tribe. With a heavy heart, all the evacuees take one last look at their home before setting off into the forest. Agu led the group of refugees towards the south in hopes of contacting the Beast of the South for aid. 

Ah wistfully watches the departure of his son. Agu was not his son by blood but as his father, he could not be prouder of his son. His smile fades away as he turns towards the east where the scouts had spotted the basilisk earlier in the day. The ten scouts had not yet returned and there was no question as to their fate. He mourned for their loss as he kept a vigilant watch, not allowing any detail to slip past his aging but still keen eyes. 

**...**

A young female basilisk chews on a goblin with annoyance. She had found a goblin settlement which was filled to the brim with food, but on the way back to her nest, a number of goblins began to pester her. Enraged, she began to hunt down every goblin that had crossed her. Goblins with their short legs could not hope to outrun a basilisk and she showed no mercy. 

One by one, the goblins fell limp to the ground. Nine of them had died instantly and she chose to eat feast on the carcasses first. The one surviving goblin she would savour afterwards. 

It had taken hours for her to hunt down all her prey. They separated themselves and hid among the bushes and trees while throwing rocks, spears and other projectiles at her. Her scales rivalled mythril in hardness and such weak weaponry had no chance in harming her. 

The goblins in the bushes hid themselves from sight, but that did not hide them from her strong sense of smell. The ones in the trees fared slightly better, until she began to use her head as a battering ram, demolishing all that stood between her and her meal. 

She swallows what she had been chewing on previously and approaches the last surviving goblin. Her open mouth salivated freely and goblin could do nothing but stare in horror as he watched the gaping maw approach him. 

He had watched in horror as his comrades were massacred and then eaten one by one. Now, it was finally his turn. His spine had been broken when he had fallen out of a tree and he could no longer move his legs. His futile attempts to crawl away only stoked the hunting instincts of the basilisk who easily caught him with her massive jaws. 

He was completely swallowed up in an instant and for a moment it was peaceful. It was dark and the stench was unbearable, but even so he felt strangely at peace. That is, until she began to chew. He screamed in agony as he felt his flesh rend and his bones cracking under the pressure of her bite strength. 

He endured the next few moments in pure agony before her venomous saliva finally brought him a measure of mercy. 

The basilisk growled in delight as she tasted the warm blood that resided in his veins. The sounds of cracking bone and his muffled screams pleased her. This weakling and his comrades had wronged her, but she made sure they all knew the horror of offending a being much more powerful than they were. 

She swallowed with satisfaction and then stretched. The sun was in the midst of setting and the dim orange light was barely getting past the thick forest canopy. She still had a way to go before she reached her nest and her journey back would be even slower now that she was fed. She did not resent this, because goblin flesh was widely enjoyed by all in the herd. She was certain that her discovery would stoke a feeding frenzy in which she would be able to eat her fill once again. After stretching she begins to slowly tread back to her nest, her mouth still salivating as she thought of all the goblins that would still be in the village. 

**T hank you for reading! As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to share them with me.**


	3. Chapter 3

** Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord, all credits to  Kugane Maruyama. **

Dialogue Tags: 

[Spell/Martial Art] 

‘ _Inner thoughts’_

{Message} 

Gazef Stronoff and his warrior band quickly arrived at the entrance of a frontier village. Gazef was relieved to see that the village had not been burned down as were all the other villages he had seen. At the entrance stood two people. One looked to be a middle-aged man who looked weathered by both the elements and by age. The other was a towering figure clad in raven-black plate armour. Just by looking at him, Gazef could feel goosebumps breaking out on his skin. 

‘ _It would be wise not to provoke this dark warrior_.’ Gazef thought to himself. Gazef called his men to a stop a few dozen meters away from the pair as he approached alone towards the pair. 

“My name is Gazef Stronoff! I am the Warrior-Captain of the Re-Eztize Kingdom and I am responding to the reported attacks by the knights of the Baharuth Empire!” Gazef made sure that his hands could be seen in plain view, and that he was not reaching for his sword. He looked at the dark warrior beside the chief and was relieved to see that he had also not reached for his own greatswords. Though even with that assurance, Gazef had a feeling that the dark warrior could cut him down in an instant, not even allowing Gazef to draw his blade. 

Momon studied the warrior before him. The man named Gazef had bulging muscles that could be seen underneath his armour and his skin was tanned from countless hours in the sun. His face was laced with wrinkles with black hair and black eyes. He had keen eyes, fit for a warrior. To Momon, this warrior was weak. However, in comparison to what he had just seen, this warrior would no doubt triumph over the knights that had attacked this village prior. 

“I am Momon, a traveler. I noticed that this village was under attack and I stepped in to save it,” Momon spoke with confidence as he swept his arm out to indicate the chief. “This is the chief of Carne Village.” 

Gazef hops off of his horse and begins walking towards the pair. When he got within arm's reach, he bowed his head toward the dark warrior. 

“I thank you on behalf of the Re-Eztize Kingdom, for saving this village, Momon-dono. I also offer my personal thanks and gratitude for saving the citizens. Please, just call me Gazef.” 

Momon was taken back once again. This warrior named Gazef likely was a famed person within the kingdom, and likely serves the king personally. Yet someone of his status and position was bowing his head to someone whom he had never met before. Momon’s opinion on this Gazef rose several notches. 

“Raise your head, there is no need to go so far. I only did what needed to be done. It is only right for the strong to protect the weak.” He spoke in his regal tone of voice. 

Gazef raised his head in surprise. The way this dark warrior spoke was similar to how the king Rampossa himself spoke. ‘ _He said he was a_ _traveler_ _? I dare venture a guess that he is of noble birth_.’ 

“May I ask a question?” Gazef ventured with caution 

“You may, however, I may not be able to answer.” 

Gazef nods respectfully before continuing. 

“You said this village was under attack? Was it the work of the Baharuth Empire?” He asked as he looked around. Gazef did not see any signs of battle here, just a few doors that had been smashed in with force and a few houses burnt down. There was no blood, as if all the villagers had been taken away. 

Momon noticed the wandering gaze of Gazef and put his worries at ease. “Worry not, the villagers are all safe. They have been gathered at the village center along with some of the knights who I have taken captive,” Momon spoke calmly and paused before continuing. “As for their identity and motives, which I am sure you are curious of, you may ask them yourself.” 

Gazef smiles at the good news. “You have my thanks once again, Momon-dono.” He turns his gaze towards the village chief who had been silent so far. “Village chief-dono, may I ask that my men are allowed into your village? I do not wish to undermine Momon-dono by any means, but my men can help with the cleanup and help maintain security.” The village chief responds kindly with a warm smile. With the approval of the chief himself, Gazef shouts orders for his men to move into the village. Gazef is led to where the knights had been held captive and he braces himself for the headache that would soon come. 

**...**

Aba, the eldest son of Ah, stands on top of the wooden gate that serves as the entrance into the village. His father, the chieftain, felt the most responsibility for the well-being of the tribe and had spent hours on watch. He felt pained because his father lacked the energy of his youth, yet still strived to work himself to the bone. Aba cursed his lack of strength. Had he been stronger, his father would not need to exert himself as he had. And if he had been stronger, he would have been able to protect his home. As it stood now, he and half of the tribe would face annihilation. 

Gigant Basilisks were beasts that by themselves could destroy entire villages and settlements. Aba was certain that only those vastly fortified human cities in the plains could withstand the onslaught of a single Gigant Basilisk. 

He looks beside him and towards the dozen warriors who were on watch with him. As the eldest son of the chieftain, he held authority over the warriors but Aba preferred to lead by example, just as his father had. 

Aba knew that it was not the time to be distracted, but he could help but worry about his youngest brother who had been evacuated. Agu was the one of the more intelligent goblins of the tribe, and despite being adopted, Aba cared deeply for his overly serious younger brother. 

Aba supported his father’s decision to pass the title of chieftain to Agu instead of himself. Aba lacked the sharp mind of a leader but was blessed with an able body. He was a fine warrior who could even rival the ogres in physical strength. 

Aba felt something was off and ordered silence among the warriors that stood watch with him. He honed his senses and managed to pick up sounds of rustling in the wind, but that was not all. The evening breeze brought with it a strong odour which he would never forget. It was the scent of blood and gore. The lingering stench of death washed over Aba and he quickly raised the alarm. He felt his hairs stand on end as he shouted out orders to the warriors and ogres below him. 

Goblins and ogres possessed night vision, thus the slowly fading sunlight did little to impede his vision. Even so, he knew it would not be long before the Basilisk would reach the village. As various goblin warriors scrambled to their positions, Aba had one lingering thought in the back of his head. The sounds that he could not have been made by one single basilisk. Originally, he thought he was just mistaken, a trick of his nerves, but as the sounds became louder, and the stench of death grew ever stronger, his worst nightmares were about to come true. 

It was not even a moment later that he saw ‘them’. Aba’s face contorted in both surprise and horror at the sight before him. He saw the enormous bodies of twelve Gigant Basilisks with one that was larger than all the rest with scales that were as white as snow. 

It was impossible. Gigant Basilisks were solitary creatures. Even the single basilisk spotted earlier in the day could potentially wipe out the sixty warriors currently defending the village. Aba was currently faced with a dozen beings that each could annihilate the village single handedly. 

Aba calmed his breathing and called out to the warriors who were panicking around him. He did not blame them for losing their nerve at this impossible sight, but they had to regain some measure of calm. Aba’s gaze went from basilisk to basilisk, hoping to see some sort of injury or weakness to take advantage of, but there was none. They all seemed to be in good health, and unfortunately for his tribe, they also appeared to be hungry. 

His gaze finally landed on the large albino male and the basilisk seemingly returned his gaze.

Aba could feel his limbs turning stiff as he looked into the eyes of the basilisk. He cursed himself as he mistakenly fell victim to the petrifying gaze, but he soon felt his limbs loosening as the basilisk breaks eye contact to roar with excitement. 

As if energized by his roar, all the basilisks began to charge towards the wooden wall that separated them from their prey. Aba quickly called for the warriors on the walls to brace themselves but it was a fruitless endeavor. A tsunami of muscle and hunger smashed into the wooden wall as if it were little more than a bunch of sticks. 

The gate collapsed in an instant and Aba only barely managed to jump off of the collapsing gate before it crushed him. The warriors with him on top the wall weren’t as fortunate. Half of them had been crushed by the gate and the other half had broken and mangled limbs. They cried out in pain before they were quickly scooped into the mouths of the behemoths who had crushed their first line of defense in an instant. 

Aba cursed as he picked up his sword and began charging towards the albino male. The basilisk lazily swiped one of his forelimbs at Aba as if he were an annoying pest. It took every ounce of his physical abilities to dodge the claws that would have torn him to shreds. Aba knew that his sword could not penetrate the scales of the basilisk and sought another option as the forelimb slammed into the ground, forming a small crater beside him. 

Aba immediately started to climb up the now immobilized limb and aimed his sword directly at the basilisk’s vulnerable eye. His sword was only inches away from connecting with the delicate tissue when he felt a sharp pain in his chest and was lifted into the air. 

Aba was fast but the movements of the basilisk far exceeded his. In his pursuit of striking the vulnerable eye, he had completely missed the other forelimb positioning itself to strike. The claws of this particular basilisk rivalled orichalcum in hardness and easily tore through his leather breastplate, ribs and flesh. Those very claws had skewered Aba and left him hanging in the air. He coughs up blood as he feels his grip loosening on his sword until it finally slips from his grasp. 

He is then raised above the open mouth of the basilisk as he freely bleeds into the gaping maw. With every second that passes, he could feel both his vision and strength fading away. Every breath he takes brings him great pain as he watches the carnage before his eyes. Homes were being levelled by the huge bodies of the basilisks who sought to catch the few who attempted to hide. 

Groups of goblins could be seen wiped out in an instant before the razor-sharp claws of the basilisks. His fading gaze finally sets on his home. Outside of it he could see his two younger brothers and father preparing to fight a basilisk that was rampaging towards them. With the last of his strength he wishes for their safety before his consciousness finally fades into oblivion. 

Ah cursed as he watched his eldest son die. Tears threatened his eyes when he saw the body of his beloved son finally drop into the mouth of the basilisk with snow white scales. Ah knew the battle was lost when he had heard Aba’s shouts. Before the walls were overrun, he quickly sent out two warriors who hopped off of the walls with ropes. Their destinations would be the lairs that belonged to rulers of the forest. Ah could accept if his village were to be annihilated by a single basilisk, but this herd could threaten the existence of all in the forest of Tob. 

Ah snaps his attention back to a basilisk that approached them. He could see the blood of his tribesmen all over its face as it approached. Without warning his third son rushes forward and throws a spear he had been carrying. It bounces off the scales and does no harm but the action alone draws the basilisk’s ire. His son then runs off in the opposite direction daring the beast to follow him. The basilisk happily complied to kill the weakling who had attempted to harm him. 

The actions of his son brought Ah valuable time as he sought to rally the remaining warriors and ogres still alive. He now had two dozen warriors and three ogres by him. He was shouting out orders when the albino basilisk walked down the wide street towards him. 

Ah felt fury erupting within him as he stared at the beast who had murdered his son. He whispered a prayer for the safety of his three remaining sons as he orders all to charge towards the albino basilisk. 

Ah had no doubt in his mind that it would be impossible to fend off this onslaught. He hoped only for a chance at revenge and to buy as much time as possible for the news to reach the rulers of the forest. 

With each step the basilisk took he felt the blood in his veins boil, until it reached a breaking point. The three ogres shouted a war cry and charged at the basilisk with their clubs raised high. The basilisk despite being much larger was more agile than it looked. It nimbly dodged two of the clubs and the third that did land appeared to do no damage. The basilisk swiped its claws in retaliation and it tore through both club and arm of the ogre who had struck him. The ogre wailed in pain and clutched the ribbons of what had once been his arm. The basilisk then swung its tail in a wide arc and it struck all three of the ogres in the head. One fell back stunned while the other two had their necks snapped. Ah took advantage of the distraction the ogres provided him and climbed up one of the creature’s forelimbs. He raised his sword and struck down with all his strength. He had hoped to cripple the creature by striking a vulnerable tendon but his sword shattered upon making contact with the scales. Similarly, the other goblin warriors surrounded the basilisk and began striking with their weapons to no avail. The basilisk seemed to seethe with rage that such weaklings would dare oppose it. He stomped his many limbs and countless goblins were crushed under his weight. 

He swiped out his claws in a frenzy and a dozen goblins who were unfortunate enough to be struck turned into ribbons of meat. Ah attempted to stay on top of the body of the basilisk but it was a fruitless endeavour. He was flung from his spot and crashed onto the ground. 

Before he was able to rise, he felt a strong grip over his body as the basilisk had him in its grasp. The basilisk tightened its grip and Ah felt his ribs cracking and breaking under the pressure. The ribs that had once protected his torso were now stabbing his own lungs and with every breath he drew, he was coughing up blood. 

Ah could do little as he watched the last of his warriors die, without even a shred of mercy. The last surviving ogre had raised its club and struck the basilisk while he was distracted. That seemed to enrage the basilisk even further as he then pounced onto the ogre and began to tear its limbs off. The ogre wailed in pain as blood began to pool around his body. White bone could be seen in the stumps that had once been his arms and legs. As the ogre lay dying the basilisk tore open his stomach and began to eat him alive. His cries of pain subsided when the venomous saliva finally worked its deadly toll. 

Tears began to form in the eyes of Ah as he desperately searched for signs of his second son who had been fighting with him. He wanted to cry out his name, but every time he opened his mouth, the blood would drown out his words. He knew deep down that his son had either been crushed underfoot or torn into ribbons of flesh and bone. 

Ah struggled against the iron grip of the basilisk but that accomplished nothing. His eyes shined with hope as he saw his third son in the distance, but that hope quickly faded. His third son was quite athletic but even he would eventually tire. Behind him was the very same basilisk whom he had lured away before. Ah watched helplessly as his son finally ran out of breath and turned to face the basilisk chasing him. 

His son raised a spear and thrust it at the forelimb that was coming straight towards him. The spear shattered like a stick and the claws shredded his torso. His now decapitated head fell to the ground and rolled towards Ah. 

He watched the light fade out of his son’s eyes before his head was squished like a grape under the forelimbs of the basilisk. That was the final straw for Ah. He had watched three of his beloved sons die before him. Ah wanted to curse this world for its cruelty. It was far too cruel to have a father watch his own children die before him. Why had this occurred? Was it because they were weak? Was it because they were goblins? There were no answers to his questions as his home was being destroyed all around him. 

Goblins were entitled to their own lives just as any other living beings in this world, yet by sheer misfortune had they crossed the paths of beings that only saw them as prey. Ah came to this realization as death finally claimed him. His dying wish was hoping that Agu would find safety before his consciousness fell into the abyss. He would no longer be alone as he would have his three sons for company. 

The albino basilisk noticed that the weakling in its grasp went limp and growled in displeasure. He had wanted to savour that one, but he had been too focused on tearing the ogre apart. He tossed the body of the goblin like it had been garbage and moved deeper into the village looking for more live prey. He would return for that meal later but living prey always tasted best. 

The annihilation of the goblin tribe of Gigu lasted no more than twenty minutes. Within that short amount of time the village had been completely levelled. Wooden splinters lay everywhere that were the remnants of the once proud wooden walls and of the various homes and buildings. Blood along with chunks of flesh and bone lay scattered all over the ground. 

The basilisk herd had reveled in their bloodlust and consumed every living being that had been inside the village. The fortunate ones had died instantly but many had been eaten alive. It had been a long time since the herd had eaten like this and now, they all lay sprawled across the village deep in slumber. It is unknown if beasts can dream, but if they could, it would not be hard to imagine what thoughts swirled within their heads. 

  
**...**

Gazef felt his face relax as he walked alone towards the entrance of Carne Village to collect his thoughts. His men were doing their tasks of providing security while he was questioning the ‘Imperial’ knights who had attacked this village. There were a dozen knights dressed in the armour of the Baharuth Empire and all were willing to speak except for one who was a broken shell of a man. Gazef paid the man no mind, but he was intrigued at what had happened. The knights revealed that they were actually operating on orders from the Slane Theocracy. Their objective was to destroy a string of villages leaving only a handful of survivors. Carne was to be their last target before pulling back to the Theocracy. That was all they knew, and when questioned on the state of their commander, they said that the dark warrior had pointed a finger at their commander and he lost his will. 

‘ _This raises more questions than it answers_ .’ Gazef’s mind raced to come to some sort of conclusion. ‘ _Still, their leader must have just been a_ _weak-minded_ _coward. Though why was he given the order to attack innocent villagers? What is their objective?_ ’ Gazef was pulled out of his thoughts when one of his men rode up to him. “Warrior-Captain! We’ve spotted people approaching, and they’re surrounding the entire village! They are closing in as we speak! 

**...**

Momon had just finished healing the wounds of the villagers that had been lightly injured. Miraculously few villagers had died, only some of the elderly who had been cut down cruelly by knights too impatient to wait for them to gather in the village center. The amount of mana he expended was no small amount, but thanks to his innate mana regeneration and vast mana reserves, it was negligible. 

‘ _Even so, it would not be good to use up too much mana in this situation. I do not know if they will be more threats, not to mention I am in unknown lands_ . _I cannot let my guard down_.’ 

Momon reflected on all the information he had just obtained. He spent considerable time healing and conversing with the villagers and occasionally some of Gazef’s men who were curious as to what he was doing. He learned much about life in the kingdom and a bit about the world around him. Technologically speaking, the world seemed to be around the medieval ages of his old world, but there were also quite a few technological breakthroughs thanks to magic. Magic items that provided continually light and continuous flowing water helped to make lives easier in areas that had access to magic items. This piqued Momon’s interest. He would look into said items should the chance arise but this village lacked access and the capital for such items. 

Gazef’s men gave him more insight into the inner workings of this Re-Eztize Kingdom. They swore their loyalty to King Rampossa III and currently there was a power struggle between two main factions. That being the Royal faction, led by the King, and the Noble faction, led by one of the six Great Nobles. 

The soldiers under Gazef expressed their concerns over the struggle for power that was weakening the country internally and combined with the Baharuth Empire’s yearly wars, the future was grim even for soldiers who served the king personally. 

Momon listened to all they had to say, but it did strike him odd that for soldiers, they were allowing a stranger to learn more about their political situation. Momon reaffirmed it to being public knowledge when the villagers were also able to attest. ‘ _I see a lot of similarities here in this country as with my old world. Still, as I originally thought, I need more information.’_

Momon briefly thought that it might have been a bad idea to help this village as that might put him at odds with the most powerful human nation in the area, the Slane Theocracy, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He was not opposed to killing other humans, so long as it further his goals. But even so, mass slaughter did not please him. 

{Please excuse your humble servant for disturbing your rest, Momonga-sama.} 

A raspy voice could be heard inside his head as he thought about his next course of action. 

“It is fine, what is your report?” Momon immediately snaps to attention to see Gazef’s men moving around anxiously. 

{We have spotted multiple humans approaching with angels in their ranks.} 

Momon pondered the report he had just heard, but he quickly came to a conclusion. 

“Remain undetected, but continue to observe and surround the approaching humans. Do not engage in combat unless they attempt to flee.” The wraiths all indicated that they understood and Momon soon found the village chief at the village square. ‘ _This is about to get complicated, isn’t it?’_ He thought idly. 

All the villagers of Carne were gathered once again in the village square. They were accompanied by Gazef's men as Gazef, Momon and the village Chief decided on their next course of action. 

"Gazef-dono, who is approaching and what is their objective?" 

"I believe they are operatives of the Slane Theocracy. The Sunlight Scripture, to be exact. As for their objective, I can only think of one." 

Momon reaffirms his words. "Yes, I do believe you are hated, Gazef-dono." 

Gazef smiles bitterly. "It is as you say, Momon-dono. But I have a request, could I trouble you to hear it?" 

Momon motions Gazef to continue. "My thanks Momon-dono. I ask that you protect these villagers. I know it is shameless of me to ask of you another boon after you have already done so much. I will ride out with my men to confront those who are approaching but I fear that in our absence, the villagers will be put in harm’s way.” 

Momon looked to be in deep thought as Gazef continued. "I swear that I will repay this debt, however, as it stands right now, I have nothing to offer but my words. Allow me to beg for mercy on behalf of the villagers." 

Gazef began to kneel but was stopped when Momon laid a hand on his shoulders. The grip was tight but not painful. Gazef had a feeling that even if he wanted to, he would not be able to break free from the grip of the dark warrior. 

"Gazef-dono, there is no need to go so far for someone like myself. You can rest easy. I will protect these villagers; I swear it on my name. You can fulfill your duty, as I will mine.” 

Gazef smiles warmly and extends his hand. Momon extended his own and they grasped arms. “I am truly grateful, Momon-dono. I believe that none in this world are safer than those who are under your care.” Gazef leaps on his horse with athletic ability that should not have been possible with his large frame and signals the advance. Momon called from behind as the men on horses advanced. “I wish you luck in battle, Gazef-dono.” 

Momon pondered briefly on his exchange with Gazef. He quite liked the man. He was strong yet humble. He would fight against all those who would endanger his king and his country and Momon could not help but to respect that loyalty. Momon had spent considerable time in his old world as a businessman. Studying people was something of a second nature and yet he could not feel any sort of ill-will from Gazef. He turned to face the Village Chief at his side. 

“Village Chief, gather all the villagers into the village storehouse. I will cast some protections on it. Do not allow anyone to leave before I come to get you. Oh, and also take this.” 

Momon handed two unassuming horns to the Village Chief. 

“These are ‘Horns of the Goblin General’, you can summon a troop of goblins to defend yourselves while I am gone, but I suspect it would not be needed. I believe young Enri would make good use of it.” 

The Village Chief went to do as he was told and when he encountered the Enri, he handed over the horns to her. He did not understand why their saviour had chosen her to wield the magical items but he trusted both Enri and Momon completely. He would not go against their saviour’s decision. Soon after all the villagers had locked themselves into the storehouse, Momon cast his spells.

[Anti-Life Cocoon] [Wall of Protection from Arrows]

Satisfied, after seeing that the entire building was encased in a green sphere, Momon sent a message for a wraith to be stationed by the storehouse. He ordered it to remain hidden but to engage anything that approached that was not himself or Gazef. With the promise of the villagers’ safety fulfilled, he finally turned his attention to the battle that was to take place. 

Momon had positioned himself a dozen meters from behind Gazef. He had cast [Perfect Unknowable] and was observing everything with a keen eye. Gazef and his men were riding their horses full speed towards the figures that looked to be magic castors. Floating around them were dozens of angels, but they looked eerily familiar. 

‘ _Aren’t those Archangel Flames? Those are from Yggdrasil! Doesn’t that mean there are more influences from Yggdrasil than I first thought? Considering that my avatar is also here likely means that I might not be alone.’_

Momon’s thoughts went ablaze as he considered that he very likely was not alone in this world. Or at the very least, even if he were alone, there was clear evidence that Players had existed in the past. ‘ _In Yggdrasil, Archangel Flames were low level angel summons. I do not know of their strength in this world. I must proceed with caution as angels are tricky to fight as one of the undead. Oh? What’s this?’_ Momon’s thoughts were interrupted as he saw something of interest. 

**...**

It was a desperate melee for Gazef’s men. They stood as human soldiers of flesh and blood, with their weapons of unenchanted steel that could not penetrate the bodies of the angels. Archangel Flames had bodies that resisted physical attacks of weapons not imbued with magic. Only Gazef with the use of his martial arts had any chance of inflicting fatal damage to the angels. With the help of martial arts, Gazef was able to cleave angels in half, but it was not without a cost. His body bore the burden of their continuous use. His thinking was getting clouded and his arms ached with every strike. Even so, Gazef continued to push forward. 

‘ _How could I, the Warrior-Captain of this Kingdom possibly fall before expending everything I have? These bastards have slaughtered so many innocent villagers and this cannot not go unpunished!_ ’ 

This thought pushed Gazef to confront yet another group of angels in his way. “Out of my way! [Sixfold Slash of Light!]” 

With the speed of light, that one stroke managed to hit six angels in front of him. Their bodies dissolved into particles of light. Gazef had no time to celebrate or even catch his breath as even more angels appeared to fill the gap he had created. 

_Not good, I am almost at my limit and I have lost half my men. If I do not take down their commander then this will never end!”_ Gazef was indeed correct in his judgement, however he severely lacked any sort of decisive factor. He was effectively defanged as he did not have access to the treasures of the kingdom. As it stood now, he and his men would eventually be massacred. 

Nigun knew this as well. He had well over thirty magic castors under his command, along with dozens of angels and Principality Observation against a now exhausted Gazef who had only a dozen of his warriors under his command. Nigun grinned savagely as he called out one final order. 

“Finish off the caged beast, but keep your distance. Then we will clean up the village behind him.” 

His offhand remark left Gazef with a smile. Nigun was annoyed at the arrogance of the warrior and barked a question. “What’s so funny?” 

“Someone far stronger than me is protecting those villagers. You have no hope of touching them.” Gazef’s words were firm and unwavering even in the face of certain death. 

Nigun could only scoff at what he heard. “Stronger than you, who is known as the strongest warrior in all the kingdom? Don’t make me laugh.” 

Gazef kept smiling as the angels approached, but before they could kill him, the two closest to Gazef instantly vanished into particles of light. Everyone was shocked at what they had just seen. 

‘ _Where did those angels go? Was it some sort of Martial Art?’_ Nigun had his doubts but he was correct, for it was not any mere martial art. A towering figure in raven-black full plate armour now stood in front of Gazef. 

"Momon-dono…?" Gazef tried to speak but Momon motioned him to save his strength. 

Momon raises one of his swords and points it towards Nigun. “I give you one chance to call off your angels and surrender. If not, we will have to do things in a more difficult manner. Let me make myself clear. You have no chance in defeating me.” His regal voice carried his words across the vast field that separated the two forces. 

Nigun was angered at this interruption but he was cautious. ‘ _Where had this man come from? And what martial art did he use just now? I could not even see his movements!’_ Nigun calmed himself before he spoke. “Who are you, and why are you interfering?” 

The dark figure seemed disinterested in his question and asked a question of his own. “I assume you wish not to surrender then? Utter foolishness. Your ignorance will be your downfall.” 

Nigun’s temper could no longer handle the jabs of this interfering busy-body and he shouted an order. “Angels, kill him!” 

Over two dozen angels flew towards the dark figure but before they could reach him, the dark warrior leaped into the sky and swung his twin greatswords in one wide arc. Every angel within his sword’s reach instantly disappeared into particles of light. 

‘ _Impossible! Such a thing, it’s impossible! Those angels could resist physical attacks if the weapon is unenchanted! And what of his speed? How did he move like that!? Not even a God-kin is capable of slaying two dozen angels with a single blow!”_

Nigun lost all sense of reasoning, as did his men. His men were trained killers who followed orders, but in the face of such madness, they lost their will and resorted back to the magic that they were more familiar with. 

“W-what the hell?” 

“I-Impossible!” 

“Oh gods, we’re doomed!” 

[Charm Person] [Iron Hammer of Righteousness] [Hold] [Rain of Fire] [Emerald Sarcophagus] 

[Holy Ray] [Shockwave] [Confusion] [Charge of Stalagmite] [Open Wounds] 

All manners of spells rained down on the dark warrior but they all seemed to disappear before making contact with his body. 

“Oh? First Archangel Flames, and now all these spells I am familiar with? It would seem I now have many more questions to ask of you.” 

Nigun could feel the dread crawling up his spine. He could not comprehend what was happening but still shouted for an order even as his men continued to rain down spells with no effect. 

“Principality Observation! Crush him!” 

The massive angel that had been on standby until now began to move. It was substantially larger than the Archangel Flames and it carried a small shield along with a mace. Nigun had kept it passive as to activate its ability. Principality Observation could strengthen the defenses of all its allies so long as it stood still and had line of sight. It was more defense oriented than the Archangel Flames but it could still be a threat when on the offensive. At least, it should have been. 

The silver mace came crashing down with the force of a battering ram but the dark warrior only raised a single hand to block the swing. Nigun expected the arm to completely shatter. He would rejoice as he expected to hear the sounds of bones breaking, but instead he could not believe his eyes. 

The dark warrior caught the silver mace and held onto it. The angel struggled to free its mace but to no avail. The scene was akin to watching a child fighting over a toy against his parents. 

The dark warrior then pulled the mace towards himself and with his free hand swung one of his greatswords at the struggling angel. An angel that could only be summoned by 4th tier magic disappeared in a single strike, and by a sword no less. 

Nobody could believe what they had just seen. Gazef and his remaining men who were in a struggle for their lives a few minutes before were staring wide eyed at this impossible sight. A man out powering an angel many times his size and killing it in a single blow. They were watching a legend in the making. 

Nigun had obviously been watching as well, but instead of the awe that Gazef was feeling, Nigun could only feel dread. He could hear his men crying out in panic but he yelled at them. 

"Get it together and protect me! We haven't lost yet! We still have an artifact of the gods!" 

Nigun’s men cheered weakly as he brought out a spell-sealing crystal. He would summon an angel of the highest order to vanquish this dark warrior. 

The dark warrior on his part seemed to be on guard. He readied his swords and looked as impregnable as a mountain. Nigun gulped as he stared at his stance but still called forth his trump card. 

"Behold the glory of the gods! The angel of the highest caliber! Dominion Authority!" 

A white angel covered in white armour rose to the sky proudly. It showered the area in holy white-blue light. This was something that mankind could not defeat. This was an angel capable of slaying the Demon Gods and capable of using 7th tier magic, which no man could wield. This warrior would have no chance in defeating it. 

The dark figure had seemingly deflated. His swords dropped and his stance lowered. 

"This is your trump card?" 

Nigun did not detect any sort of fear in the warrior’ voice, but chose to ignore it. 

"It is only natural to call upon the highest of all angels. You are a foe most worthy of it, rejoice!" 

The smile on Nigun’s face died as quickly as his confidence. 

"This is a joke. I was on guard for this?" 

"Wha-" 

Nigun was interrupted as a shockwave blew him back a few steps. The dark figure had launched himself like a bullet and with his crossed swords, decapitated the highest of all angels. It too, like all its predecessors, vanished into the light. 

"A foe that no man could defeat? Impossible! Who are you!?" 

"You may refer to me as Momon, but I suppose I can learn a lot more from you later." 

Nigun felt the sweat dripping down his back as he spoke those words. He should not have crossed this warrior. 

"M-Momon-dono! No, Sama! Please spare us, no, just me is fine! I can offer you a fortune for my safety!" 

His desperate plea for mercy left a bitter look on the faces of Gazef and his surviving warriors. Nigun’s own men looked at him with disgust, but he did not expect the dark warrior’s reaction. 

He laughed; it was a hearty laugh that carried itself across the vast field until it stopped abruptly. 

Seemingly annoyed, he spat out his next few words. "I will not kill you, for you have much to answer for. Quite frankly, I'm looking forward to our future talks." 

**The next chapter sees the rulers of the forest reacting to this new threat. Do they come together to survive it, or does their pride blind them from doing what’s needed to be done?**

**Thank you for reading! This part went through quite a few re-writes, so I apologize for the delay. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to share them.**


	4. Chapter 4

** Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord, all credits to  Kugane Maruyama. **

Dialogue Tags:

[Spell/Martial Art] 

‘ _ Inner thoughts’ _

{Message}

The moon claims the night sky and shines with all its majesty glory. Gazef could not help but admire its beauty as he sat on a bench thinking over the events of the previous day.

It had been a few hours since the battle had ended. Gazef had the bodies of his men gathered as he and the villagers of Carne mourned their sacrifice.

Gazef stretched his arm and much like he expected, it felt fine. Momon had healed the wounds of him and his surviving warrior band. Gazef felt his debt and respect towards the warrior grow but so did his questions.

' _ Momon- _ _ dono _ _ is capable of healing magic? Is he a paladin? Though his strength far surpasses what paladins are capable of _ .' When asked about this, Momon replied with, “I am simply a man who can handle himself.”

Gazef sensed something in the tone of his voice and decided not to inquire any further. He did not wish to pry and risk offending the man whom he owed so much. ‘ _ I owe Momon-dono my life and gratitude. To spit on the kindness he has shown me would be unforgivable. _ ’

Gazef pushed that thought aside as Nigun came to mind. Gazef did not think that Nigun was the type to have loose lips but after seeing what Momon was capable of, It was inevitable that he would speak, and speak he did. 

‘ _ I must report this to the King at once. I am not one for politics but even I can see the possible repercussions of this incident. I pray that the King will be able to ensure that the deaths of our people will not go unpunished.’ _

Gazef sighs as he looks away from the moon shining brightly overhead. His request for shelter had been met with approval from the village chief and currently he was outside a cottage which he had been given permission to stay in. Gazef takes one last breath of the crisp night air before retiring indoors. He fell into a deep slumber the moment he hit the mattress as his exhausted mind sought rest.

...

Under the cover of darkness, a goblin warrior from the Gigu tribe arrived at the entrance of an unassuming cave. It was located within a rocky clearing in the forest and there was only a single ogre who stood as a sentry within the cave. 

The ogre eyed the goblin warrior with suspicion but allowed him to pass. A tiny goblin like him would not be able to harm the mighty Giant of the East. 

The goblin warrior sees a troll deeper within the cave and begs him for an audience with the Giant of the East. The troll was thoroughly confused but decided that it might be worth the entertainment. This goblin would likely be ripped apart if he offended the mighty ruler and the troll chuckled at the thought of such an event occurring. The goblin warrior waits anxiously before he is summoned deeper into the cave.

Guu, a massive green war troll sits on a shabby stone throne. He awaited the goblin warrior that his troll underling had informed him about. It was not long till he saw the scrawny being bow before him. Guu grunted in annoyance and the goblin understood that the war troll had little patience for him.    


The goblin bore news of a Gigant Basilisk threat. Guu originally rolled his eyes at those words but his eyes soon shined with interest at the news that a herd of such beings had attacked the goblin’s village.

Gigant basilisks were indeed tough foes, even for him. He could resist their poison but it would severely weaken him. Trolls could regenerate their wounds, but fire and acid could completely nullify their regeneration. Still, a mere Gigant Basilisk would not pose a threat to Guu. He was the ruler of the Eastern Forest, a mighty being only matched by two others. He led a troop of ogres and trolls, among other beasts such as barghests. All of whom were mere weaklings in his eyes, but still stronger than those scrawny goblins. 

His troll minion seemed worried about the numbers of the basilisks. Guu stared him down and quickly cut down the offending troll. He went down with a cry and grasped his chest with tears in his eyes. 

“Get out of here, coward. Go gather the weaklings together, because tomorrow, we are going to deal with these damn lizards!”  Gigant basilisks were definitely worthy foes. Even he himself could only fight one and only emerge victorious after a long, arduous fight. Though such a fight would severely weaken him, he had the advantage of numbers on his side. He had many minions to sacrifice, and they could weaken the basilisks for him. All he had to do was swoop in and finish them off to claim all the glory. He was the mighty ruler of the Eastern Forest; it was only right for him to defeat these interlopers who had appeared in his territory. Guu smiles smugly as was surprised by his own intellect. Surely only a genius could come up with such a plan.

He was only displeased when he was informed that a different goblin was on his way to inform that blasted Serpent of the West. Guu did not want him to take his glory that belonged only to himself. With that bit of news that displeased him, Guu dismisses the puny goblin and sits back on his throne while quietly pondering how much stronger he could get by eating a basilisk.

**...**

Momon is wide awake as he lies in bed. He was currently alone in the cottage that had been offered to him. Seeing that he had no reason to refuse, he decided to take them up on their offer. After declining the offers of a meal, he quickly went to bed, only to remember that he lacked the need to sleep.

‘ _ Being undead does come with its benefits, but I wonder what the food tastes like in this village? It would be a shame if I am unable to sample this other-worldly cuisine.’ _

Momon smiles bitterly at the thought but focuses his attention on the information he had gotten out of Nigun. 

_ ‘The information provided by the imposter knights seems to be the first half of a jig-saw puzzle, with Nigun filling in to be that missing half. Still, is this truly their objective? If Gazef is indeed the strongest man in the surrounding regions, then his death would be a great loss to the Re-Eztize Kingdom. If they were to lose their trump card then this Baharuth Empire would have a much easier time conquering this region.’ _

Nigun’s exact words swirling within his thoughts. 

“The deaths of these villagers and Gazef were for the benefit of all mankind! The Kingdom is corrupt and slowly killing itself. The territory and human resources within the Kingdom would surely be better utilized by the Empire! Please, you have to believe me! I did not do this out of hatred! I am just following the gospel of the six Great Gods!”

Those words filled with passion could not easily be dismissed, but they also bore a stench of betrayal that Momon could not help but notice.

‘ _ Is this Kingdom really so wretched and corrupt that their very own nobles would plot with a foreign power? Just so this land would want it to fall into the hands of another nation? As I thought, this requires further investigation. It does help that I have the gratitude of one of the most respected figures of this country. I will make good use out of this connection. But even so, I still have to consider my future options.’ _

_ ‘If these so-called ‘Great Nobles’ are as corrupt as Gazef’s men say, then I might be able to gain a lot by working with them.’  _ Momon considers the potential benefits of such a decision but shakes his head. _ ‘No, that is out of the question. Not after what I and my former comrades have lived through in our previous world. It would be best to either remain neutral or help rid this country of its scum. For now though, I think it would be best to remain neutral and to observe for any additional leverage or significant figures within the Kingdom. Acting too hastily would be ill-advised especially in my current disposition.’ _

_ ‘Gazef seemed to be surprised when I said I was not an adventurer. I should inquire further about this topic when I have the chance. If my current objective is to gain more information, then I need to consider an alibi. Since I have come from ‘foreign lands’ then I need to decide on what would fit best. A travelling merchant might work, if not for the fact that I am wearing what warriors would typically wear. Not to mention my lack of goods to sell and barter with. The items within my inventory are out of the question. I do not want to run the risk of someone tracking the items back to me.’ _

‘ _ It would then narrow it down to a mercenary looking for work, or as an adventurer. I am unfamiliar as to the intricacies of such an occupation in this world, but in Yggdrasil it was a lot of fun discovering new things about the nine realms. Surely, it should be a similar case here?’ _

As Momon thought about adventuring and exploring the world, he remembered what had interested him earlier. ‘ _ Martial arts, I think Gazef referred to them as such? Such things did not exist in Yggdrasil. They seem to be special skills that warriors could learn and master. I should also question Gazef on that topic. There may exist martial arts that could bypass my High Tier Physical Immunity. I should be prepared for any and all threats that may come my way.’ _

Time was a blur for Momon who had been lost in his many thoughts. It was not long before the sun slowly began to creep up above the horizon. Momon had long since left his bed and was sitting out on his porch watching the world wake up from its slumber.

“What a beautiful sun rise. I cannot believe that in my past world we destroyed the very world we lived in just to pursue greater profits. It would be a shame if this world were to be marred by pollution to the same extent. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to preserve the pristine condition of this world to honour the memory of Blue Planet-san.”

The sound of an opening door causes Momon to look away from the beautiful sunrise. Gazef emerges from the cottage next to his and stretches as he takes in the morning sun.

Gazef grins as he notices that Momon was also awake. He quickly walks over and waves.

"Good morning, Momon-dono. I see you awoke quite early."

"Good morning to you as well, Gazef- dono . How are your wounds?"

Gazef smiles warmly at the concerned words of the dark warrior. 

"Thank you for your concern. I feel truly refreshed, like you've removed all exhaustion that rested in my bones. I am truly in your debt, Momon-dono."

Momon waves his thanks aside. 

"What are the plans for today? I assume that the matter regarding those operatives need to be addressed.”

Gazef nods in response.

"Yes, you are correct Momon-dono. In a few hours’ time we will begin the trek back to E-Rantel. I will stop there momentarily before leaving for the capital. What of you, Momon-dono?"

"Regretfully, I am new to these lands. Could I trouble you by allowing me to accompany you?”

Gazef smiles wryly. 

"Of course, Momon-dono. I would dare say that it would be far more beneficial for us to be in your company, rather than it be the other way around." 

Gazef seemed to go into deep thought as Momon studied him curiously.    


"Is something the matter, Gazef-dono?"

"No, I was just thinking how it would be a few hours before set off towards E-Rantel. I was just thinking of how to pass the time."

"Ah, is that so? Then perhaps I have an idea you may agree with."   


Momon kicks two sticks off the ground and catches them nimbly. He tosses one to Gazef who caught it readily. 

Gazef smiled as he understood the dark warrior’s intentions.    


"I'm afraid I won't be much of a sparring partner, but I am honoured."   


"You praise me too highly, Gazef-dono. Now you may make the first move."

The smile on Gazef’s face instantly disappears as he takes up a stance and focuses his eyes on the dark warrior. Gazef takes a step forward, leaving a small rut in the ground from where he was just standing as he speeds towards the immovable figure of Momon.

**...**

Ryraryus Spenia Ai Indarun, the ruler of the Western Forest, listens intently to the goblin warrior who sought an audience with him. The goblin warrior before him had arrived with the break of dawn. The goblin in question was near exhaustion, but his eyes shone with determination. Seeing this, the old Naga decided to humour his request.

Ryraryus had a grave expression on his face as he heard the news of a basilisk herd. If this information was to be believed, that meant a very strong individual likely led the herd. 

A single  Gigant Basilisk was a foe mighty enough that only  Ryraryus would have any chance of victory in a one-on-one fight. Within the forest of Tob, only two other beings rivalled  Ryraryus in terms of strength.

That meant that even an alliance between the three rulers of the forest and their minions would be hard-pressed to fend off a dozen basilisks. The possibility might exist that the basilisk who leads this so-called ‘herd’ is a foe stronger than even he could handle.   


Ryraryus is shaken at this revelation and questions the goblin warrior on the whereabouts of his remaining tribe. He is informed that they are fleeing south, hoping to come into contact with the Beast of the South.  Ryraryus agrees with that decision and calls for all his minions to prepare to travel. Time was of the essence and  Ryraryus knew full well what this ‘herd’ could be capable of.

**...**

Agu calls for his tribe to stop and rest as sunlight begins to filter through the dense leaves of the forest. He and his tribe moved without rest throughout the night and now they were exhausted. The stamina of the young children and the mothers carrying them would not hold out for long.

Their pace the night before was slow but determined. But now, without the cover of darkness, it would be far too risky to move further south. Now was a good time for him and his tribe to catch what little sleep they could. 

Agu chews on a piece of jerky slowly, softening it as he grinds it in between his molars. He washes it down with some water before lying down on top a pile of leaves. His eyelids could no longer support themselves and slowly drooped. After that, it was not long before sleep claimed his exhausted body and mind. It was good fortune that he was not plagued by nightmares, for he would need all the sleep he could get.   


A few hours pass before he is shaken from his slumber. He groggily stumbles up to greet the excited, but exhausted scout who had awakened him. The scout informed Agu of a cave to the south. There were markings on the rock that indicated the lair belonged to Beast of the South. Agu felt his mood lift at this bit of good news and called for a quick meeting between those who were still awake.    


Agu decided that while the rest of the tribe rested, he would travel to the cave with two warriors and plead for assistance from the Beast of the South. If they did not return by the time the sun sets once again, the remaining members of the tribe would head towards the west, in hopes of contacting the ruler of the forest that resided there. 

It would be too risky to seek aid from the ruler of the Eastern forest, for they might cross paths with the basilisk who had been seen around their village. The faces of all his fellow goblins were grim, but determined. Many of their kin had given their lives so that they may live. They would not squander their sacrifice. There was much at stake, with the annihilation of their tribe hanging over their heads.    


It was not long before Agu stood before a large cave entrance. The cave seemed quite spacious. He takes a deep breath steels himself before walking in with the two warriors who had volunteered to go with him. 

Agu feared displeasing the Beast of the South, but he would still plead on behalf of his tribe. He was driven not to shame the efforts of those who had sacrificed themselves. He walks into the dark interior of the cave with his chest held high, knowing that whatever the outcome of this exchange, his tribe would live another day with, or without Agu.

The interior of the cave was well ventilated and wasn’t as dark as it first seemed. Agu took a few steps inside before he announced his presence.    


“Oh mighty Beast of the South! My humble name is Agu! I am the new chieftain of the Gigu tribe! Please grant my lowly self an audience for I bear news of great importance!”

Agu could hear the sounds of rustling deeper within the cave, and he could feel himself shuddering as he was bathed in the gaze of a being he could not hope to defeat.   


The darkness of the interior of the cave was of no concern due to his dark vision and soon he laid eyes on the Beast of the South. He could clearly see its silver coat and a snake-like tail that coiled around its body.   


“Thy bravery is to be applauded, young goblin. This one shall grant thee an audience that thou desire.”   


Agu bows his head in respect at the generosity he was shown despite being an uninvited guest.

“Many thanks, oh mighty Beast of the South! My tribe faces annihilation at the hands of a Gigant Basilisk. I seek your aid in ridding our home of this invader. Please, I beg of you to consider our selfish request!”   


The beast seemed to pick up on Agu’s earnest feelings and softens its tone of voice. 

“I see, thy home is threatened and thou seeketh aid in vanquishing the invader. While this one hast no qualms in providing aid to end thy plight, what does thou offer this one in return?”   


“I offer the allegiance of myself and my tribe. We will, from this day forth, serve you to the best of our abilities. On this, I swear.” Agu speaks with no hesitation as he pours forth all the emotions he had buried the previous night. 

“I respect thy courage, and this one accepts your pledge of allegiance. Raise your heads, and tell me more about your plight.”   


Time seemed to be a blur as Agu sought to tell all that he knew, of his tribe and of his former home. Their current group of refugees was mostly made up of women and children. They had left behind a group of warriors and a few ogres to defend their village. The Beast of the South listened quietly as she took in all that she heard. Agu was only aware of the fact that a few hours had passed when one of his warriors ran into the cave and interrupted the conversation.   


The warrior apologized profusely as he brought news that Agu did not expect to hear. The Serpent of the West and his minions had arrived and currently his tribe was in their company. Agu looked towards his new master, and she seemed to gone into deep thought.   


“This one was not aware that others existed that could rival myself in strength. It would be worthwhile to meet these fellows.”

The goblins did not intend to disagree with their new master and before long, Agu was face to face with another ruler of the forest. The so-called Serpent of the West. Agu gulped as he viewed the long body of the powerful Naga. 

Ryraryus observes everything with a sharp eye. He eyed the Beast of the South with an intense gaze as he sought to study her. 

His eyes passed over her silver coat of fur, long winding snake-like tail and finally upon her beady black eyes. Within those eyes, he could sense great wisdom and power. Seeing this, he nods with approval and smiles.    


“Greetings, Beast of the South. This old one is known as Ryraryus Spenia AI Indarun. You are perhaps more familiar with my title as the Serpent of the West.”

“Greetings, Ryraryus-dono. This one lacks a name but is known as the Wise King of the Forest, a title I received from the humans. Thou may refer to me as Wise King.”

Ryraryus was surprised to know that the Beast of the South was familiar with humans, and that they had given her such a title.   


“Truly a fitting name for one whose eyes shine with such power and wisdom.”   


His facial expression hardens as he begins to speak about the blight upon the forest of Tob.   


“Wise King-dono, I bear grave news of a Gigant Basilisk threat. A herd of the creatures has already destroyed the village of these goblins. It would not be long before they too, make their way here in pursuit.”   


Agu feels his heart sinks as he hears the news. If it had just been one basilisk, there may have been a slight chance his tribe could have held on, until he could return with the aid of the Beast of the South. He feels despair as he thinks how much havoc a herd of those creatures would be capable of.

“This one agrees with your assessment, what does thou propose we do?”   


Ryraryus seemed puzzled for a few minutes until an idea struck him.   


“Wise King-dono, you said the humans gave you your title?”   
  
“Yes, that indeed is the truth, Ryraryus-dono, though it was a number of years ago. Why does thou ask?”   


“Are you aware of any human settlements in your territory?”   


The Wise King ponders the question asked of her and nods.   


“Yes, this one vaguely remembers seeing human activity from a settlement not far from my nest.”    


“I propose making contact those humans. The threat of these Gigant Basilisks far out-exceeds what we can handle. The humans have likely heard of your mighty name, and thus we may be able to win them to our favour. What do you think, Wise King-dono?”   


“Your plan has merit, Ryraryus-dono. Yes, we shall do as thou say. Come, let us move with most haste.”

The Wise King and her new-found subordinates are accompanied by Ryraryus and his minions as they all head south. Their movements are anxious, but filled with determination. Their very survival hung in the balance, and they all knew it.

**...**

It was mid-afternoon while the village of Carne was still celebrating their heroes with a feast. Gazef originally planned to decline the offer, but he eventually caved in. His men were weary from days of patrolling the countryside and now they could get some much-needed rest. This feast would do good for both he and the villagers of Carne.    


Gazef and Momon sat as the seats of honour in the village square. The villagers had brought out long tables typically reserved for celebrations and now every seat was occupied by either the villagers or by one of Gazef’s surviving men.   


The villagers of Carne usually had little to spare, but on this  occasion, they could not afford to skimp out on celebrating their heroes. Alcohol was given out in moderation, in respect to the warriors on duty and food was aplenty. Various cuts of meats, vegetables bread and fruit lined the long tables and all the those attending the feast enjoyed themselves to the fullest.

As Momon sat in the seat of honour, he silently lamented his undead body. The food and drink he would ‘consume’ would likely just fall through his bones. He managed to excuse himself from eating by citing religious reasons. He would attend the feast, but he would not touch the food or drink due to him ‘fasting.’ Momon breathed a sigh of relief as the villagers easily accepted his reasoning. The world was vast and there likely existed many beliefs and religions, thus his reasoning would not be too far-fetched. 

Momon smiled warmly as he saw the inhabitants of Carne toasting to the bravery of himself and Gazef. He did not think that the villagers were ungrateful and quite frankly, he was surprised as to the full extent of their gratitude. 

‘ _ It truly does feel good to be recognized for the work that you’ve done _ .’ He thought to himself as he laughed watching the awkward young couples of the village dancing. He had to decline many requests from the young women of the village who sought him as a dance partner. Momon was confident of his footwork, but had never danced before in his life. 

The villagers capable of playing music happily played their tunes on the few instruments they had available and Momon watched with a faint smile at the celebrations of this simple village. They were poor, and lived harsh lives, and yet they still strived to make the best of their lives. Momon could not help but admire their tenacity, as happiness like this were rare in the  world he once lived in.

{Momonga-sama, please excuse this humble servant for interrupting you.} A familiar raspy voice could be heard in his head.   


Momon puts a hand up to his ear and whispers quietly so that he would not be heard.

“It is fine. What is your report?”

  
{A large group of demi-humans are approaching from the forest. A group consisting of mostly Goblins and Nagas. What are your orders, my lord?”

“Continue observing them, but do not make yourself known. Prevent their escape by all means if we do engage in combat.”   


He lets his hand drop as he ended the [Message] and looks around the village square. Everyone continued their celebrations as usual. Momon was planning to speak up but before he could, a hunter who had been out in the forest rushed into the village square and ran straight towards Momon and Gazef.

“Momon- sama ! I heard the sounds of many footsteps coming from the forest, and when I went to  investigate, I saw countless demi-humans approaching!”

Momon looks briefly at Gazef who nods, seemingly coming to the same conclusion. Gazef readies his men for combat as Momon calms all the villagers with his regal voice, promising their safety. The villagers were all worried, but had complete faith in their saviours.   


Once everyone had prepared themselves, they all moved towards the north side of the village that bordered with the forest. Momon stood at the head with Gazef as his warriors formed a barrier protecting the villagers who carried any sort of weaponry they could find. The imposter knights had threatened their homes and caught them unawares, but this time they were determined to contribute to the  defence of their home. 

Soon the group reached the edge of the village and waited anxiously as they scanned the  treeline . Only Momon seemed to be at ease and that had a soothing effect on all those present. They did not have to wait for long, as they could all hear the sounds of footsteps rumbling through the forest.

** Over the course of a single afternoon, the hardy inhabitants of Carne Village have faced certain death twice, yet they lived to tell the tale. As the villagers celebrate the heroes that saved their lives, they are interrupted by sounds of footsteps coming from the forest. Are they under attack once again, or is there more to this than what it first seems? **

**Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to share them. Small rant below.**   


**In preparation of writing this chapter, I took a little dive into both the wiki and the LN to see the speech pattern of both Hamsuke and Ryraryus.**   


** Hamsuke ** ** mostly speaks in archaic English, and while I am not able to perfectly replicate her speech pattern, I will try my best to keep her speech consistent. **

** Ryraryus ** ** seems to be capable of speaking in both modern and archaic English. His speech in Vol 8 was much more formal when meeting  ** ** Ainz ** ** for the first time, which is understandable. While in Vol 12, his speech has become much more casual as he addresses the envoys of the Holy Kingdom. For the sake of simplicity, I will stick to his speech pattern from Vol 12. **


	5. Chapter 5

** Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord, all credits to  Kugane Maruyama. **

Dialogue Tags: 

[Spell/Martial Art] 

‘ _Inner thoughts’_

{Message} 

Momon remains ever calm as he scans the treeline for movement. As the sounds of footsteps grew louder, all the people present tighten the grip on their various weapons, be it a sword or a humble pitchfork. The dark warrior was the only exception as he folds his arms across his chest. 

The people standing behind him couldn’t help but admire his heroic form. His large back served as a shield against any danger that faced them, and they respected the dark warrior all the more. 

The sounds of footsteps finally come to stop as everyone present could see the numerous goblins and other creatures within the forest. Only two figures stepped out of the foliage and into the field that separated Carne Village and the forest of Tob. 

All the humans present could not help but gasp in surprise at what approached them. A powerful looking magical beast with silver fur accompanied by an older naga, who despite his age, still maintained a strong presence. 

Momon stared with interest at the beast with the silver fur. ‘ _Isn’t that a Djungarian Hamster? Though I’ve never seen one so massive.”_

Behind these two figures and within the foliage, the people of Re-Eztize could see the various figures of goblins, nagas, ogres and even a troll. They gulped at the sheer numbers of this group of demi-humans. If this was to turn into a battle, then it would certainly bring about many losses. 

Momon appeared to be studying all the demi-humans before him and every one of them shivers under his gaze. They were all keenly aware that they stood before the gaze of an apex predator. 

In reality, Momon was simply eyeing the demi-humans with curiosity. He was able to communicate with the humans of this world despite clearly speaking a different language. It was unknown if non-humans could speak the common tongue, but now was the time to find out. 

“I think you’ve come close enough to speak.” 

Momon allowed his regal voice to carry his intentions. To his surprise, the naga replied. 

The naga whose upper body was of an older man stops and bows his head in respect.   


“We mean you no harm, humans. This old one is known as Ryraryus Spenia Ai Indarun. I am known as the Serpent of the West. The one beside me is known to you humans as the Wise King of the Forest.   


The humans could not help but exclaim their surprise at the words spoken by the old naga. The Wise King of the Forest was a magical beast that lived in the southern part in forest of Tob. The villagers of Carne were aware that they lived near its territory, but they could never have imagined the day they would see its majestic form. The ‘Serpent of the West’ was a moniker they were not familiar with, but it was clearly a title that commanded great power. 

Only one person was skeptical of the words spoken by the naga. ‘ _Wise King of the Forest? Isn’t that just an over-sized hamster? Still, their titles leave little to the imagination. Serpent of the West and Wise King of the Forest are certainly showy titles, but I wonder how much it actually holds up._ ’ 

Momon coughs to clear his non-existent throat. 

“I am known as Momon, and these good people are the inhabitants of the village you see behind me. What business do you have here, naga?” 

Ryraryus’ face hardens as he begins to speak. 

“Human, this old one bear grave news. A Gigant Basilisk herd as been spotted, and it laid waste to the village of these goblins. We suspect they will come after us in pursuit. We request aid in dealing with the creatures.” 

At the words of the older naga, the faces of the goblins darken while the humans shout in horror. ‘ _A herd of_ _Gigant_ _Basilisks? Aren’t they solitary creatures?_ ’ Was the prevailing thought that went through everyone’s mind. 

The beast with silver fur echoed the sentiment of her peer. 

“Human-dono, what Ryraryus-dono speaks of is indeed correct. This one is the new master of the goblins, and we seeketh whatever aid thee can provide.” 

Momon takes in all the information he’s heard and reflects on it. 

“I see, though I see no reason as to why you would lie, how can we trust your words?” 

“This old one understands your concerns human, bu-” 

“Human! You question my master!?” 

Ryraryus was interrupted by his troll minion who charged out of the forest in a fit of rage. The troll could not believe that his master would bow his head to a lowly human, and even worse, the troll had been intimidated by that human’s gaze. 

Trolls had powerful bodies that possessed strength that far surpasses mere ogres. Combined with the fact that also had the racial ability of regeneration meant that within the forest, only the three rulers of the forest could kill a troll single-handily. In all his life he had only been beaten by Ryraryus, his master. He could not allow a mere human to be above him. 

“You idiot! Stand down! Human, please, we really do mean no harm." 

The words of his master fell on deaf ears as rage overpowered his sense of reasoning. The troll raised his fists in the air as he ran towards the human who stood defiantly. He would take pleasure in crushing the puny human, but he was far too slow and weak to even get near the dark warrior. 

**“Enough.”**

Human and demi-human alike both flinch at the cold tone of the dark warrior. That once regal voice was now devoid of all warmth as it brought sense to even the enraged troll who stopped dead in his tracks. 

Momon, confident that he had everyone’s attention, thought of a way to force these demi-humans into submission. He took notice of the young goblin children in the forest and sought to limit his range of his aura.

[Despair Aura I - Fear]

Something akin to bloodlust, more intense, more frigid than ever seen before, exploded from the dark warrior. A gust of air, as frigid as the coldest of winter storms, blew into all their faces of all that were present. The very sky seemed to go dark as the rays of sunlight disappeared leaving behind nothing but a pure obsidian radiance.   


Momon had only originally planned to only target the two rulers of the forest and the troll, but unbeknownst to him, he had unconsciously allowed his aura to slip out of his body. 

  
The effects were immediate. The Beast of the South rolled over to her back and exposed her soft underbelly with tears in her eyes, whereas Ryraryus had coiled up in a futile attempt to hide himself away from the frigid aura emanating from the dark warrior. 

The offending troll was no better. He was lying on the ground in a cradling position, quietly rocking his knees. It was a pathetic sight to behold of a demi-human, who in most eyes, was invincible.   


The humans and demi-humans who, despite not being the targets of his aura, keenly felt their own mortality as they stared the hurricane of death who was known as Momon. 

Gazef was no different. Despite being the strongest warrior in the Re-Eztize Kingdom, he keenly felt an overwhelming wave of bloodlust emanating from the man beside him. It felt like the hurricane of death was pushing him back. To even draw breath was an arduous task as he looked in stunned silence towards the form of Momon, who seemed even larger than his towering physique would suggest.   


Moments that felt like hours eventually passed. Momon began to notice the fear spreading beyond his original range and quickly retracts his [Despair Aura]. The frigid gusts of air blowing from him, and the darkness that shrouded the sunlight, all disappeared as quickly as it had come to be. 

Everyone felt a huge burden lifted off their chests. The goblin children who, a moment before had been cowed into silence, began to cry once again. Their mothers desperately hushed them in fear of offending the dark warrior.   


Momon upon seeing that, was somewhat disappointed that he had allowed his aura to slip up. He would have to be more careful in the future. ' _Yamaiko_ _-san would be scolding me right now. A grown man scaring children? That leaves a bad taste in my mouth_.'   


“My apologies, I did not mean to scare you, little ones. That was unbecoming of me. I hope you can forgive me.” 

He bows his head in apology, and despite it being perfectly reasonable to do so, Momon was confused to hear everyone gasping at his actions. 

The humans could not believe that their saviour would bow his head towards demi-humans, whereas the demi-humans could not believe that a being so much stronger than they, would ever lower their head. 

Ryraryus having finally caught his breath, musters all of his courage to speak. 

“N-No, It must be we who are to apologize, human. Pl-please don’t lower your head! One of your power should not have to lower himself before us!” 

Momon raises his head confused, but complies with the words of the old naga. 

“I see. Then let us continue our discussion before we were rudely interrupted.”   


He eyes the fetal position of the troll with some interest before dismissing him from his thoughts for good.   


“You there,” Momon turns to face the beast who was on her back. “You said you were the new master of these goblins, did you not? Tell me what you know.” 

The beast with silver coat speaks with tears in her eyes. 

“Th-this one submits to thee, Mi’lord! This one swears allegiance and to swear upon telling only the truth. If it pleases you, Mi’lord, please grant this humble one a name!” 

Momon ponders the intricacies of having a pet, he had never owned one in the past, but this hamster was quite cute, even accounting for its weird speech pattern. He vaguely recalled that this hamster was known as the ‘Wise King of the Forest.’ Surely, such a creature would provide him with valuable information, and if it became his subordinate, then his reputation would also improve. 

Only problem was Momon had terrible naming sense, and while he was quietly thinking of a name, both the human and non-human onlookers alike, all looked at Momon with awe as they thought that he was carefully considering the offer from the fabled beast of legend. 

“I accept your offer. You will be known as Hamsuke from now on. Serve me faithfully and you shall be rewarded.” 

Momon smiles at the thought that he had a renowned beast under his rule. 

“I thank thee, Mi’lord! And this one shall strive to meet your expectations! The words of Ryraryus-dono can be trusted, Mi’lord!” 

Ryraryus seeing the opportunity decides to step in.   


“This old one also submits to your will, human. Please, I beg of your forgiveness. We did not wish for events to go about in this fashion. Gigant Basilisks are creatures that only Hamsuke-dono and I are capable of fighting, and we are now faced with a dozen of the creatures. We, as inhabitants of the forest, do not have a chance in fending off this threat alone. That is why we seek your aid, human. We also have reason to suspect that a basilisk far stronger than what is commonly known leads this herd. After all, how else would these creatures ever get along? As I have said before, the basilisk have destroyed the former home of these goblins. We suspect their pursuit would come soon." 

A single goblin child with determination in his eyes steps forward, out of the forest. He walks nervously but with purpose. As he gets near the two monsters of legend, he bows his head towards the towering dark warrior. 

“M-My lord, my humble name is Agu. I am now the chief of the remaining goblins of the Gigu tribe. We were at the service of the Beast of the South, now known as Hamsuke, your servant. I fear to be presumptuous, but that makes us, by extension, your servants as well. I swear my loyalty to your will, and to never deceive you.”   


Momon eyes the young goblin child with fascination. It would certainly be no easy task to speak up, especially in this situation and towards the figure that had cowed their leaders into submission.   


‘ _First Enri, and now this Agu, hm? The young ones in this world are certainly surprising in their abilities and courage.’_

“You may continue to speak, young Agu. In respect to the courage you have shown just now.”   


“I thank you, My lord. Our scouts spotted a single basilisk near our village. Seeing this, my father ordered me to evacuate with the women and children of our tribe. Most of my warriors and ogres stayed behind with my father and three older brothers. I…” 

Tears begin to threaten the eyes of Agu as he continues to speak. 

“Our village, our home… it’s now all gone.” 

Momon pities the young goblin. ‘ _So young, yet handed with such great responsibility. He lost so much, but still carries on for the sake of his tribe. Perhaps_ _Yamaiko_ _-san was right, talented children really are a treasure’_   


Momon turns to address the two figures who walked up to him.   


“Gazef-dono, Village Chief-dono, what do you make of this?” 

Gazef has a grim face as he considers the threat may befall all of Re-Eztize. 

“After seeing their earnest reactions, I believe that their words can be trusted, Momon-dono. I propose we move towards E-Rantel as soon as we can. The news of this herd needs to spread throughout all the Kingdom. We have only two adamantite teams in all the Kingdom and I doubt that even they could handle this threat by themselves. To send those two teams in by themselves would be suicide.”   


The Village Chief nods with agreement to Gazef’s sentiment. 

“Momon-sama, Gazef-sama. I, along with all the villagers of Carne, will go along with any and decisions you make. After you have done so much for us, there is no reason for any of us to doubt you or your intentions. We place ourselves in your most capable hands.”   


The village chief bows his head as he speaks without any sort of hesitation. There were chorus of agreement from the villagers who believed the same. 

But even so, there were some slight discord among the villagers. A single hunter speaks up.   


"M-my lord, I am but a humble hunter, but I don't see a reason in providing aid to these demi-humans. It is true we share a common home of this forest, but we have no love for their kind, nor they for ours. Though I do not wish their destruction, we simply have nothing to gain by helping them." 

There were some hesitant agreements to his words among the villagers, while the Village Chief looked horrified that one of his own would speak up against their saviour. He was about to shout at the hunter before Momon put his hand up to stop him.   


"It is fine, Village Chief-dono. Allow the man to say his piece. His words do carry some truth to them. Human and demi-human relations are not ones that are commonly found, I take it?" 

Reluctantly, the Village Chief agrees with the statement. 

"That is true. Though we interact very little with the inhabitants with the forest, sometimes adventurers do come here to hunt them." 

Momon takes all that in with interest. 

"I see, I see…"   


Momon goes quiet for a second as if deep in thought. The villagers of Carne look towards him in interest. What could their saviour be thinking about? 

A few moments later, they got their answer. 

Momon clears his throat and begins to speak. He allows his voice to carry out his intentions.   


“Citizens of Carne, these goblins faced a situation where they lost not only their homes, but their families as well. They may be goblins and you humans, but that does not take away the common suffering that you both have shared. You know how close you were to having your lives taken away from a second thought. Will you sit by and watch another suffer the same fate? Or, will you reach out your hand to aid them?”   
  
Momon’s heroic speech resonates within all the hearts of all those who were present. Both human and demi-human could do nothing but stare in awe at the overwhelming presence of the dark hero. He was truly a being that transcended the common man. 

The villagers had some semblance of goodwill to look ashamed of what they had previous thought of the demi-humans. Had it not been for Momon, then it would have been very likely that their homes and lives would have been taken away from them, just as the goblins had suffered. 

Satisfied that he had gotten his message across, Momon turns to address the two men beside him. 

“Gazef-dono, Village Chief-dono, I will take heed of your words as you are citizens of this country. But will you really leave these fellows to their fate?" 

“Momon-sama,” The village chief is the first to speak up with pity in his eyes. "I see with my own eyes the pain and loss in every goblin child’s eyes and I cannot, with a good will, turn away from them at this time. Please, I know this is shameless of me to beg, but please help these inhabitants of the forest.” 

Gazef smiles warmly at the words of the village chief. “Momon-dono, I agree with the Village Chief. The threat that these basilisks pose is no small amount. If we were attacked unawares, then I am sure that the extinction of this country would not be far off.” Gazef’s face hardens as he thinks of that future playing out. 

Momon takes in all the words of concern from everyone present. The demi-humans look on with uncertainty as their fate hung in the hands of the humans that they rarely interacted with. 

“Gazef-dono, I believe you said that E-Rantel is the largest city closest to here?” 

Gazef nods in response. 

“Yes, that is so. I believe we should head there as soon as we can. We can contact the adventurer’s guild there for assistance in this matter.” 

“That sounds like a plan,” Momon turns from Gazef to address the villagers of Carne. “My good people, please take what belongings you have and any provisions you can carry. We must act with most urgency.”   


All the inhabitants of Carne were energized by their dark hero’s words and quickly began to pack all their belongings that they could take with them. They wasted little time as they knew that time was of the essence.   


It took only an hour for all the citizens to pack up their personal possessions, and to have all the wagons within the village put to use. The young goblin children and their mothers rode in the wagons, fast asleep despite how uncomfortable it was. That was a testament to the trials they had endured, and even the most conservative of the villagers could not help but pity the young goblins. 

Momon had not spent his time idling, for he had sent his wraiths out to investigate the so-called herd, before then healing any of the goblins who were injured. 

The captured operatives of the Slane Theocracy were brought out to the village entrance, and they watched with silent horror and fascination at the scene of demi-humans working together with humans, and what shocked them the most was the fact that the man who had defeated them was now healing demi-humans with his magic. 

One person in particular had been quiet, far too quiet. Nigun who the previous day before had been in a state of panic, now looked to be at total peace. It was certainly an eerie sight for his men, but they pushed that aside for now. 

Gazef walked up to Momon who had just finished the wounds of a young goblin child who finally smiled when his legs no longer hurt from their trek through the forest. Momon waved the young child off before standing up. 

Momon takes a deep breath as he takes a look around him. The wagons were nearly all full of supplies or the resting forms of children, and within the village it can be seen that demi-humans were putting their superior physical strength to good use as they were helping some villagers load up the few remaining wagons.   


Due to both species working together, it was not long before everyone stood ready to go near the village entrance. Gazef was making last minute check ups on his men and their captives whereas Momon was speaking to the two former rulers of the forest along with the Village Chief, who looked a little out of place among the beings of legend. 

Once all preparations were finally done, Momon clears his throat to address the crowd of beings gathered. 

“Humans and demi-humans, though you differ in many ways, you also share a lot of similarities. You are neighbours who are now united in a single goal, to survive what threatens your home. Be they your fellow humans,” Momon gestures to the ashamed operatives, “Or of a herd of creatures that view us as little more than food. Take heart, for we are not abandoning your homes! One day we will reclaim them and you shall live without fear of losing it!”   


His words were met with heartfelt cheers of all the beings that heard it.   


They were all energized by his words, and they all began their way south, through the flat plains that separated them and E-Rantel.   


**...**

The many winding alleyways of E-Rantel glowed a faint orange under the evening sun. The main roads of the city were bustling with activity at this time. Children were returning home from their school, men were returning home after a long day’s work, and women who were in a hurry to complete their shopping.   


In many alleyways it was the same story, all except for one particular alleyway. It was completely desolate, and devoid of all people except for one person. 

A cloaked figure danced through the alleyway, with the agility and grace that would only be fitting for a cat.   


Though the cloak shadowed their face, it was not hard to make out the voluptuous body that hid underneath the cloak. The cloaked woman easily made her way through the winding and empty alleyways that made up the city’s western district, near where the graveyards were located.   


It was not long before she reached his destination. She was greeted by yet another cloaked figure, a man, judging from their build. He stood waiting at a dead-end staring intently at his su 

The woman approached without a sound, and it was only after she was right in front of him did the man finally notice her presence. In truth, he was aware of her shenanigans, but grew tired of it. The female greets the man before handing him a scroll.   


“Hiya~ They’re speeding up their operations, so I could use a hand~” 

Not even the hood could hide the savage grin on her face, but the man merely nods and accepts the scroll offered to him. 

“Understood. I will relay your request immediately.” 

The woman was seemingly a little disappointed at his lack of reaction, but shrugs it off. 

“Yeah, yeah. You do that. But you better be quick, or this city is done for~”   


The man merely grunts, ignoring the taunt of the woman.   


“You have the list of what you can expect to see, now go make sure that it gets to those sticks-in-the-mud, okaaay~” 

The man merely nods to her nods, showing that he understood. 

After speaking her piece, the woman nimbly turns around like a dancer and disappears down the path she came. The man sighs in relief after noticing her presence dissipate. She was a valuable source of information, and a very talented individual. The only issue was her problematic personality. 

She had left her former unit because she was a poor fit for a disciplined squad. Not to mention her thirst for human suffering far outweighed her sense of justice in defending mankind. 

The man reflects on his assignment and ponders retirement. Dealing with that former Black Scripture member was definitely above his pay grade. 

He unravels the scroll handed to him and his face drops as he reads the contents. 

“A death spiral...? No, it couldn’t be.” 

He nearly drops the scroll as he backs away in horror in what he had just read. After taking a moment to muster his courage, he finally readies to depart from the city of E-Rantel with only one goal on his mind; to make sure the Cardinals know of what is to come of this city.

**Both human and non-human alike walk the unfamiliar path of nonaggression. Can they put their differences aside, and work towards a common goal, or will their efforts be in vain? What awaits the Fortress City of E-** **Rantel** **, total chaos, or is it their salvation?**

**Thank you for reading! As always, please feel free to leave your questions, comments or concerns.**


End file.
